Forever
by FriendLey
Summary: "Forever is composed of nows."- Emily Dickinson. This is a collection of unrelated one-shots involving Elizabeth, Henry, and the kids.
1. Elizabeth and Henry Go For a Ride

**A/N:** **This is a collection of unrelated one-shots involving Elizabeth, Henry, and the kids. But mostly Elizabeth and Henry. I take requests, but please note that I will not do anything that's already been done. It will also take me a while to get to the request.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Elizabeth and Henry go for a ride**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Humor, Family**

Henry glanced up the staircase, calling out, "Babe?"

"Yeah?" came the reply.

"We have to go if we want to beat the traffic!"

There was a series of soft thumping sounds and then his wife came into view, waddling her way backwards and slowly down the flight of stairs.

Henry marveled at the sight. Elizabeth was 9 months pregnant, due in two weeks now. Her stomach was so huge that in order to get down safely, she had to walk down the other way around so as not to tip her center of gravity.

Henry caught her as she reached the last step, her back to his chest. "You know you can always stay," he said softly in her ear.

"You tell me that _after_ I've gotten down the flight of stairs?" she growled, turning around and gently shoving him away. "Besides, I can't. Stevie would never forgive me. She already thinks we're replacing her with _this_ baby. What would she think if I stopped picking her up from school?"

Henry sighed. Elizabeth had a point.

"Alright. But you—"

"—stay in the car. I know the drill."

Henry kissed her temple and they both walked out to the driveway.

Once Elizabeth was seated and safely secured with a seatbelt, Henry drove them out of the neighborhood and into the direction of Stevie's school.

It was when they got out to the open road that Elizabeth hissed sharply.

Henry glanced back. "Babe, you okay?"

"Yeah," said Elizabeth, adjusting her position in the backseat. "Just Braxton Hicks contractions. Don't worry. I had them with Stevie. I can handle it."

Elizabeth was telling the truth. The fake labor contractions were uncomfortable more than they were painful, and the pain had tapered off now.

Henry worriedly glanced back again.

"Babe, I'm fine. I promise." Elizabeth drank the bottle of water she had with her knowing it helped.

She remembered her first pregnancy and rushing to the emergency room when she first felt any form of pain. The doctor had reassured her that Braxton Hicks were quite common in the third trimester. The pain eventually disappears and all one needed to do was walk it off, change positions, or drink water.

"Oh! We need to buy froyo," said Elizabeth by way of distracting her husband. "Stevie specifically asked that _I_ buy it for her today. I think that's her way of making sure I pick her up."

"She's a sly one, our daughter," said Henry, turning around a corner to get said froyo.

"Yeah," chuckled Elizabeth. "Can you imagine what this one will be like?" She rubbed her tummy.

"If her kicks are any indication, she's gonna be one hell of a soccer player." There was a hint of pride in his voice but Elizabeth needed to make sure.

"You're okay with that right? That we're having another girl and not a boy?"

"Honey, how many times—"

"I know, I know!" She raised her hands in a defensive gesture. "You don't care what gender it is and I love you for it. But some men think they're okay with a family full of girls but then they start to live a life full of bows and dresses and makeup and they realize how wrong they were and they start to resent their wives—"

"—I can never resent you," interrupted Henry, looking at Elizabeth through the rear view mirror. "Or the bows. Or the frilly dresses and the makeup."

Elizabeth smiled sheepishly. "Okay."

"If you'll excuse me, I am going to run out and get some cold, pink, strawberry-blueberry frozen yogurt for our frilly, girly girl." Henry stopped the car in front of the store and he popped out.

He slid back in the driver's seat five minutes later, handed Elizabeth the froyo to hold, and then they were on their way.

Elizabeth studied her husband from the back seat, trying to see if what she was about to say would cause him to freak out. When she was satisfied with her observations, she said, "Henry?"

"Hmm?"

"We need to go to the hospital." She tried to make it sound casual, like how one would say they needed toilet paper for the house.

Henry's eyes flashed with concern as she thought it would, but thankfully he didn't panic like the last time when she gave birth to Stevie.

"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm as he increased the acceleration. "I thought you said they were Braxton Hicks."

Elizabeth didn't answer and Henry couldn't risk looking away, not when he was speeding.

"Elizabeth, are you sure?" he asked again, his voice hard.

To his relief, she replied and she didn't sound distressed. "Yes. Braxtons are supposed to go away. This one came back."

"Maybe it's just another Braxton." Henry hoped it was just another Braxton.

"It feels different. Why are you being skeptical all of a sudden?" laughed Elizabeth, trying to alleviate the tension. "Weren't you the one who was all worried and convinced that they were real a while ago?"

"Damn it," Henry hit the edge of the wheel with his palm as the car slowed.

"What? What is it?" It was Elizabeth's turn to worry.

"We caught the afternoon traffic."

"You're kidding." Elizabeth leaned forward between the two front seats. Sure enough, the stoplight was red and they were stuck in an intersection amidst rows and rows of cars.

"We shouldn't have stopped for that froyo."

Elizabeth ignored him and took out her phone. After dialing 911 to send out an ambulance to watch out for their car, they finally began to move again albeit slowly. By that time, the atmosphere in the car had gone from calm to tense.

"Isn't your due date supposed to be two weeks from now?" asked Henry, his voice edgy.

"Your daughter is excited. You take it up with her when she's born," snapped Elizabeth as she tried to listen to the emergency dispatcher for further instructions and try not to groan from the pain.

She relayed to Henry what the dispatcher told her. "The ambulance is still 15 minutes out."

They were forced to stop again and Henry cursed.

"I don't have towels in the car!" Elizabeth said suddenly.

"Towels?" Henry twisted around to face her.

"He's telling me what to do in case I have to deliver _here_!" Elizabeth cried, shaking the phone; the idea of giving birth in a car making her panic. "Henry, now's a really good time for you to tell me that I'm not going to give birth inside this car."

"You're—" his voice shook and he tried again. It came out a bit forced. "You're not."

Elizabeth frowned. "That wasn't very convincing."

Henry held her gaze and said, "The ambulance is minutes away. They will get you to the hospital and you will deliver a healthy baby girl."

She nodded but said, "What if I give birth in the ambulance? It's still a car."

"Better an ambulance than an SUV. At least they have towels."

They made little progress over the next 10 minutes and Henry was active in joining the symphony of car horns.

When a contraction had caught Elizabeth by surprise and she let out a whimper, Henry killed the ignition.

"Screw it!" He got out of the car and opened the back seat.

"What are you doing?" asked a bewildered and confused Elizabeth, phone still pressed to her ear and froyo in the other hand.

"Get out of the car. I'm carrying you to the hospital."

"Are you out of your mind?" cried Elizabeth. "I wasn't talking to you," she snapped to the operator. To Henry, she said, "I weigh like a whale!"

Henry sighed, his hands on his hips. "Elizabeth, now is not the time to be insecure."

"I'm not being insecure! I'm heavy and that's the truth! You'll collapse in exhaustion carrying me around—" she looked away to speak to the person on the phone again. "Yes! He's planning on carrying me there! I know it's dangerous! But he won't listen."

"Elizabeth! The hospital is three blocks away. I can manage."

"I'm listening to Mark," she pointed to her phone. "I'll wait for the ambulance."

"Elizabeth, the ambulance is most likely stuck in traffic too. Now, baby, you don't want to give birth in here and neither do I want that to happen. So, let me carry you to the hospital."

Her body chose that precise moment to send another contraction all throughout her body and Elizabeth gasped in pain.

"Okay. Mark can say whatever the hell he likes but you're my wife and I'm gonna do what's best for you and our unborn child." He scooped her up despite her protests, leaving their car in the road.

He rushed safely to the sidewalk where people stopped to stare at them. Elizabeth imagined how they must look: a pregnant woman clutching a cup of melting froyo in her hand and phone to her ear in the other, bobbing up and down in her husband's arms as he half ran, half walked.

All the while, Elizabeth updated Mark on their location.

They crossed one block. Two more to go.

Elizabeth looked up at Henry who didn't look to be tiring. It must be the adrenaline.

A man on the street saw them, dropped the package he was carrying, and rushed to assist them. "Hey, man. What can I do to help?"

Henry's eyes darted from the man to his motorcycle.

"My wife's in labor and we have to get to the hospital in this traffic."

Elizabeth followed his gaze. She smacked Henry on his chest. "I am not riding a motorcycle!"

"Elizabeth!"

She squirmed in his arms, wanting to be put down. "Mark! Henry, no!"

"Elizabeth, really? Now's not the time to—"

Henry broke off. He stood rooted in place as he felt his arms growing wet. Water was leaking from Elizabeth and dampening her leggings and his shirt.

"My water just broke," Elizabeth conveyed over the phone.

"Elizabeth, I really need you to sit down on that motorcycle. We'll go as carefully and slow as we can, baby. I promise it'll be safe."

Elizabeth hardly thought straddling or side-saddling a motorcycle was safe, not to mention healthy for the baby. And Mark only confirmed all of that.

She looked around, hoping to find some other form of faster transportation…like a wheelchair or a skateboard. Maybe, she can just sit down and Henry can drag her—

She heard it before she spotted it. The ambulance with its white colors and deafening siren had arrived.

Henry sagged slightly in relief and Elizabeth finally ended the emergency call.

The stranger hailed the ambulance for the both of them and the paramedics got Elizabeth inside.

There was no need for towels. They reached the hospital in time.

...

Resting against the pillows of her bed, Elizabeth cuddled the heavy wide-eyed bundle closer in her arms.

Henry wiped a cold, damp towel on her face. "I'm sorry I ever thought to put you in a motorcycle."

Elizabeth giggled and infant Alison took the time to gurgle a few sounds. "I think she forgives you."

Suddenly, Elizabeth stiffened. "Oh my god!"

"What?!"

"Stevie!"

"Shit!" Henry dropped the towel to the floor.

"She was afraid we were going to have another daughter and forget all about her! She was right!" Elizabeth raised a finger at her husband. "Don't you dare tell her we forgot all about her!"

With hands stuck in his pockets, Henry cringed. "I'm gonna have to find myself a ride first. I left the car!"

 **A/N: Tell me what you think!**


	2. Henry is Bored

**A/N: Thank you for all of the comments, follows, and favorites. I got your requests and I want you to know I'm working on them.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Henry is bored**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Humor, Family**

"I changed my mind."

"About what?" asked Elizabeth, barely glancing in Henry's direction as she finished doing her make up.

"I don't want to be a couch potato anymore." Henry was lying on his stomach, his elbows propped up, and his chin on his hands as he watched his wife who was sitting across from her vanity.

Elizabeth turned to look at him, a small exasperated sigh escaping her. "Henry..."

"It's a Saturday," explained Henry, sitting up. "We're supposed to be spending the day together as a family. But the kids are going to watch a movie and you're going to work."

Elizabeth got up to join him on the bed. She rubbed his arm comfortingly. "I'll be quick, in and out. And then you and I can spend the rest of day together."

Henry's mouth curled at the thought. "Okay. If that's the case you better go now so you can make it back early."

Elizabeth agreed, giving him a kiss before getting to her feet again.

...

 _"It's taking longer than expected. I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you."_

Henry looked up from the text message he received from his wife. He tossed his phone to the couch and ran a hand over his face.

After living a life of excitement and thrill in Murphy's Station, he's more than happy to take a break, to sit back and relax. But not like this. Not alone.

Reading books, writing them, planning lectures, and grading papers can only sustain him for long but he still craved the company of his loved ones.

He turned on the TV and plopped on the couch. A Guitar Hero commercial was playing and it gave him an idea—a stupid one, really. But what was it that Henry Ford said? 'Idleness warps the mind.'

Grinning mischievously to himself, Henry went upstairs to his bedroom and changed his clothes. After discarding his sweats for a pair of whitewashed boxers, white polo shirt and socks, he padded back down to the TV Room.

He moved the sofa to the side, leaving an empty space where it stood. He unboxed the family's Guitar Hero set from the shelves and then connected his phone via bluetooth to the room's speakers. He scrolled through his playlist and when he found the song he wanted, chose it, set it down and picked up the toy electric guitar.

He ran to the kitchen and patiently waited for the song to play.

The familiar piano notes of Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll blared from the speakers and reverberated around the walls.

Henry slid easily in the TV room, his socks making it effortless.

 _Just take those old records off the shelf. I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself. Today's music ain't got the same soul. I like that old time rock 'n' roll."_

Without hesitating, he fake played the guitar, jutted his hips out, walked further in the room, and lip-synced to the song the same way Tom Cruise did in Risky Business.

 _Don't try to take me to a disco!_ He jumped onto the coffee table. _You'll never even get me out on the floor._ _In ten minutes_ _I'll be late for the door._ Henry jumped off and landed down on his knees in front of the TV. _I like that old time rock 'n' roll_

 _Ooh_ _  
_

 _..._

A car pulled up in the back driveway of the McCords' house and three teenagers got out, all of them engrossed in a conversation regarding the film they had just seen.

"It isn't like he wanted her to die—"

Jason scoffed as they approached the back door. "Please, he wanted her dead..."

Stevie took out her keys, letting the nerds hash it out, and unlocked the outside door that lead to the kitchen

 _Still like that old time rock 'n' roll_

Upon hearing the music, the three of them exchanged looks with one another. Jason shrugged for all of them and strode in first.

 _That kind of music just soothes the soul. Ooh. I reminisce about the days of old._ _  
_  
They dumped their bags on the kitchen table and walked towards the direction of the music. They didn't need to search too long for the source because their father just fell backwards on the sofa.

 _With that old time rock 'n' roll._

Stevie's eyes widened when she saw legs and arms flailing and kicking in the air. Henry turned to lie on his stomach, legs still kicking. Alison stifled a giggle and Jason was red in the face as he held his breath, trying not to laugh.

The middle child quickly took out her phone and proceeded to record a video.

As the song moved to go into the guitar solo, Henry jumped off, his back to the kids, and drew up the collar of his polo shirt. He grabbed the discarded guitar on the coffee table and began to play the instrument again.

He turned around and started, hands flying to his chest in surprise.

Jason let a full-on laughter escape him and the girls clapped their hands.

"Nice moves, pop!" said Stevie while Alison rewatched the video.

"Channeling the Guitar Hero commercial, I see," added Alison. "This is so cute. I'm posting it on Instagram."

"Aw come on," protested Henry, "Don't post—"

"Done!"

Henry sighed. He looked at his children, all of them still laughing and smiling. Well, at least he managed to make their day.

...

That night, when everybody was finally gathered together and preparing dinner, Jason said, "Mom, guess what dad did today."

"What?" asked Elizabeth, genuinely curious seeing as she blew Henry off for another crisis.

"He did a Tom Cruise in Risky Business," said Stevie in a sing-song voice.

"With Guitar Hero," added Jason, exaggerated pride oozing from his voice.

"I have a video!"

Elizabeth's eyes darted from Stevie to Jason to Alison and then to her husband.

Henry shrugged good-naturedly, not shy anymore about what he did nor about the fact that he was seen doing it. He decided he was going to own that performance.

"Show me!"

Alison ran over and showed her mother the clip. Elizabeth's mouth dropped at it and Henry put an arm over her shoulder and kissed her, smothering the sounds she was making.

"For someone who didn't want to be a couch potato, you sure looked like you were enjoying yourself." She mimicked playing the guitar. "No wonder you didn't reply to my texts!"

"That was temporary. I still missed you today."

Elizabeth smacked his butt playfully before softly murmuring, "Wanna give me an encore of that performance after dinner?"

"Just no videos and you've got yourself a deal."

 _Start playing old time rock 'n' roll_

 **A/N: This is just a little fantasy of mine or maybe of Elizabeth's. Because who wouldn't want to see Henry in his boxers doing a pretend concert?**

 **Follow up disclaimer: I do not own the song Old Time Rock and Roll.**


	3. Henry Misses Elizabeth

**A/N: Someone requested something where Henry misses Elizabeth because she's at work the whole day, and then they have a nice fluffy moment when she gets home. I took a different spin on that request and I hope my little detour is alright. Here you go.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Henry misses Elizabeth**.

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance**

Henry misses her.

He misses her in the morning when she gets up to take a bath before him. Her body melts away from his and she leaves the bed cold, too cold for Henry's liking that he gets up to join her in the shower.

"If you get in here, we're never gonna make it to work in time," Elizabeth tells him jokingly, soap suds slowly trickling down her body.

"I promise no funny business," says Henry, stripping his pajamas away. "I just want to join you."

No business other than showering _did_ occur but they were late nonetheless.

He misses her at noon when lunch dates together are no longer as common as they were before. He remembers a time when they used to sit together in the cafeteria and discuss anything that come to mind. Now, he has to schedule lunch dates and more often than not they are interrupted.

He walks in her office, raising a plastic bag that contains their lunch-burgers and fries, oily and greasy, just the way she likes them.

She relaxes at the sight of him and food. "I love you."

They settle on her sofa, talking of mundane happenings.

"Mike B says I need to change my look" says Elizabeth after swallowing a bite.

Henry almost chokes. "What? But you look great!"

"He says it's for the upcoming elections. We need to look firm and determined not," she glances down at herself and her blouse, "soft and rumpled."

He puts his burger down. "Okay, _that_ is an exaggeration."

"So, you think I look a _little_ bit soft and rumpled?"

He frowns, realizing he's caught in a trap of his own making. "I—your skin is very soft. And so is your hair."

She guffaws and hits him playfully. He grabs her hands and pulls her close, showering her with light kisses.

A knock interrupts them and her assistant pokes his head in. "Sorry, Ma'am. You're needed in the Situation Room."

She kisses him one last time and he makes a showy effort of trailing his fingers over her skin.

He misses her in the afternoon, but he can no longer simply look up her schedule and find her in a lecture hall or in one of the classrooms and listen to her teach. So, they text or call each other seeing as it's the only way they communicate during the day.

"What's up, babe?" he asks, the video feed of her is a bit grainy but she is glowing in his eyes.

"Paperwork," she says dully.

He snorts and shows her his own pile. "Same here."

They don't talk much but they take comfort in the sounds of each other's breathing, in the scratching of their pens, the clicking of their keyboards...

He misses her in the evening when she's holed up at work. Their children are a good distraction; he loves them dearly, but there is nothing like the distinct balm and soothing presence of their mother.

The noise coming from the TV blends with the voices in the kitchen. His kids are trying to cook up something they all like which winds up being a BLT, salad, and pizza from scratch.

"There is no cheese in a BLT," scolds Jason. He takes the plate of sandwiches from his older sister who accosts him with the cheese.

"Well, I want mine to have one!" insists Alison.

"You're ruining the masterpiece!"

"It's not gonna end up in a museum," Stevie reminds him.

"The cheese stays on the pizza. It is not crossing over to my sandwich."

Henry silently chuckles at them.

"Dad!"

And then she goes home to him and their kids and neither he nor them have to miss her anymore.

"Hi," he greets her eagerly.

"Hi," she replies tiredly, slipping off her coat.

"Long day?" He wraps his arms around her.

"Too damn long and most of it spent with Russell Jackson. You know how he is… How are the kids?"

She eats the leftover dinner with him and they exchange anecdotes again. He finds himself enraptured with her voice, of how well she does her job. He is proud of her everytime; he doesn't ever regret supporting her decision to become the Secretary of State.

Her presence washes over him like a warm blanket in the cold and he is content to revel in it in the kitchen, or on the couch, or in bed until he will miss her again tomorrow.

 **A/N: I hope you liked this little take. I wanted to show how everyday was like for Henry, missing his other half constantly because of their jobs.**


	4. Family Time

**A/N: For May Symone, a guest reviewer, and** **mange. paige** **. 09**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Team McCord spend some quality time together. It involves horses.**

 **Rating: K**

 **Genre: Family**

A blanket of snow covered the driveway of the farmhouse. There was sharp chirping from birds overhead. The air smelled crisp and cold, with a hint of muck that was emanating from the stables.

Three girls sat outside on the front porch, each holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa and bundled in the thickest of winter wear.

A sigh escaped Stephanie McCord, a visible puff of air forming as she let it out. "I can't believe this is the last time we're ever gonna be in this place."

Her mother, Elizabeth, nodded her agreement. "I know. Makes you all nostalgic, huh? Remember when you would make snow angels right over there? Or when we would have snowball fights or bury dad in snow?" A small smile graced her lips as she reminisced.

"Why do we have to sell it?" asked Alison, "This place has so many memories. Can't we keep this as a vacation home? All my friends say having one's really useful."

Elizabeth cocked her head to the side before saying, "Because it's expensive to keep this place running when nobody's ever here, Noodle. Plus, the horses get lonely without us."

Alison looked down sadly. "I just can't imagine having another family live here. This is home—even though it smells or the network connection is _so_ bad."

Stevie sighed wistfully a second time. "I know! It just shows how when you're faced with losing the things you love, you start to appreciate it for what it truly is… Home."

A painful silence took over as the two daughters looked out to the road, trying to absorb every last detail their eyes could reach.

Elizabeth looked at each of them in turn, half-amused and half-touched at how sentimental they were being. Breaking the silence, she nudged her daughters and said, "Okay. I for one do not intend to spend our last days in the farmhouse mulling over its eventual loss. What do you say to some horseback riding, huh?"

Alison smiled skeptically. "If you can convince your detail to let you go and dad to get on a horse…"

"Oh, you leave my detail and your father to me."

With their sadness put on hold for now, the three of them turned back inside the house, calling out to the slumbering men to put on their winter gear.

…

"What's the plan again?" asked Henry, his face almost completely obscured between two furry earmuffs, a bonnet, and a scarf.

He rubbed his gloved hands together, trying to get some feeling into them. They've been out in the snow for only a minute when he began to feel nothing at all; his nose and hands were numb. Although his wife told him he was just anxious of getting up on the horse.

"Horseback riding around the place, visit old haunts," stated Stevie simply.

"And we have to do that on a horse because it's faster and easier," added Alison.

"So, the horse will have to move, dad," Jason told him.

Henry chuckled. "I know that, son. And just because I don't get on horses as frequently as you do, doesn't mean I can't do Hand Rein Communication."

Elizabeth brought both hands to her chest in a moved gesture. "You remembered the lesson!"

Henry grinned. Of course he remembered. The lesson involved the horse bucking him off. For some reason, he could just never connect well with horses like his wife and kids no matter how hard he tried, hence the trepidation and numbed fingers. But he didn't point that out just now.

His children, however, weren't as supportive as their mother.

"Five bucks says your horse won't move at all," called Jason, moving to mount his horse.

Alison and Stevie nodded.

"Way to show your faith in me, guys."

"Well, _I_ have faith in you," said Elizabeth, pecking him on the lips before mounting her own horse.

Henry grinned proudly.

Everybody else got on their horses and started a slow trot forward.

Elizabeth glanced back to find her husband still exactly where they left him.

Laughter coming from her kids told her they saw him too.

The sight was comical. Henry was trying to urge his horse by hugging her body with his legs, a serious expression on his face as he nudged her on. He kept lifting the reins up and forward and making clucking noises but to no avail.

"You wanna ride with mom, dad?" teased Jason. "Or do I run to the house to get my five bucks from your wallet?"

"Ha ha," replied Henry dryly, "Sally's just being stubborn is all. Come on, girl—whoa." Sally started to move. "See?" he said to Jason. "Now, _you_ owe _me._ "

"Alright. Defeat acknowledged," said Jason graciously.

The family of five went on their way, a black SUV trailing slowly behind them.

They passed the neighborhood playground and Elizabeth and Henry decided it was time for annoying baby stories.

"Hey, Jace. Do you remember Anna? Your first love? She kissed you right on this playground," said Elizabeth, smiling widely against the cold.

Jason groaned, his face redder than normal, but laughed nonetheless. "I was two!"

"Didn't she also break up with you after five minutes when you wouldn't share your ice cream?" asked Stevie, not able to resist the opportunity to tease.

"Nice to know where your priorities lay," added Alison.

"There was also that time when we forgot Alison in the playground on the way home," shared Henry.

Alison gaped. "You forgot me?"

"We thought you were with Uncle Will!" laughed Elizabeth.

"Okay. Jason, I take it back. Mom and Dad's priorities were waaay more skewed than yours. What if I was kidnapped?"

"You know," said Henry, "I think you _were_ taken at one point. We're not even sure if the same kid returned."

Alison looked back at him to find him winking. Her face softened into a grin and she decided to play along. "Must be why my hair's black and not blonde."

Stevie laughed and then she squealed. "LOOK!" She pointed to a small one-story house. "It's still here! Can we go, please?"

Her siblings wore similar excited looks on their faces and when Henry and Elizabeth said yes, they broke into a gallop towards it.

"Wait! No galloping! No—ah," Elizabeth let out a breath, watching her children's figures grow small. She turned to her husband, "It's like they're four years old. No self-control at all."

Henry trotted to her side and took her hand. "Sally and I are gonna maintain this pace with you, babe."

"But that's because you never learned how to gallop."

"Whatever happened to having faith in my horseback riding skills?"

"Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me."

Henry chuckled and the two continued towards the house.

...

The house was a quaint breakfast place where parents used to go to after dropping their children off at school. However, it later became the go-to neighborhood eatery by teenagers and adults due to its delicious menu and homey atmosphere.

After climbing down their horses and tying the reins to the fence, the family walked inside, one DS Agent following, while another stayed outside in the car and kept an eye on the animals.

The moment the door closed behind them, Henry sighed, relishing in the warmth of the house.

Stevie bounded up to the counter, ordering her favorite, while the rest of the family took their time removing some of their layers and getting the family a table.

"What would you guys like us to get?" asked Alison, ready to join the queue of customers.

"Coffee, please, sweetie," said Henry, raising curled hands. "Or else my fingers are going to be permanently bent and holding on to imaginary reins."

Elizabeth scoffed, grabbing both of his hands and rubbing them against hers. "A chocolate croissant for me and coffee for Matt and Frank, Noodle. They must be freezing."

While Alison and Jason left to order for them, Elizabeth said, "You know, this is the first time in a long time when I can eat whatever I want without Blake coming in to switch my breads with fruit."

Henry laughed, pulling his hands away to put an arm around her. "Babe, that's why you hired him."

"I know! But just because I pay him to do it doesn't mean I like it."

Back with their food after a few minutes, the kids handed out the coffee orders and then settled down with their parents.

"This is what I'm gonna miss! They just don't make bagels like these in DC!" gushed Stevie, her mouth half-stuffed.

"Do you think if we take home a box of their goods and keep it in the freezer, it'll last until New Year's?" asked Jason, equally happy with his plate of bacon and waffles.

"If you _make_ it last," said Henry, sipping his coffee, the feeling in his fingers finally returning. "But we all know it's going to be gone within two days."

Elizabeth looked around, appreciating the wooden decor and the picture frames on the walls. "This is nice, going back here as a family and relaxing. It's a nice way to say goodbye to the place."

"I agree. Horseback riding was a really good idea, mom," said Stevie.

"I'm gonna stretch this day out as far as I can. I'm sorry, but I'm not looking forward to packing up the rest of the house," said Alison somberly.

Elizabeth took her daughter's hand, "Me too, baby."

Once finished with their food, they walked back out again and got on the horses, heading back to the farmhouse.

"Hey, guys. What do you say to some snowball fight?" asked Henry, stopping his horse when they passed the playground. His butt was growing uncomfortable and he wanted to get some feeling back into it.

"I'm game!" cried Jason, quickly getting down his own horse.

"Kids versus parents!" shouted Stevie. The sisters dropped down to the ground and before Henry knew it, he was the only one still saddled.

"Don't start without me!" he told them, but balls of snow were already flying. Henry shook his head, amused. Elizabeth was right. It's like the kids were four years old again.

A snowball hit the ground near Sally's hooves, spooking her. She neighed and bucked, causing Henry to tumble down to the soft snow, a yelp escaping him.

"HENRY!" Elizabeth jumped over, helping him up.

Henry shook away the snow in his hair and shivered as some of it snaked down from his unprotected bit of neck to his chest. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Horses tend to throw me over. I'm used to it."

Jason was doubling over in laughter while Alison was frowning at him.

"What? You have to admit it's funny seeing a retired marine captain and full time religion professor fall on his butt."

Henry suppressed a cackle himself. Under his hands was a ball of snow and Jason was beautifully preoccupied. Henry pressed his lips together, took aim, and then threw the ball at his son.

"HEY!"

Now it was Henry who was laughing.

"Oh, it's on, captain!"

Elizabeth and Henry scrambled behind a tube slide while the kids proceeded to hurl snowball after snowball at them.

"Matt! Help!"

"Uh-uh! No DS Agents! That's unfair!"

Squeals of laughter and screams punctuated the air. There was also a huff and a neigh from Sally.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think! To** **mange. paige** **. 09, I know you wanted something more serious and scary but I just couldn't ruin the mood of the story. I hope this is still okay. :)**


	5. Henry's Birthday

**A/N: For a guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is or entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: It's Henry's birthday.**

 **Rating: K**

 **Genre: Family**

Henry swung an arm over, hitting soft sheets instead of the womanly curves of his wife.

He broke open an eye to find the spot beside him empty. He looked back to the bathroom to find the door ajar and the room empty as well.

He fumbled for the clock on his bedside table. It read 8 am. Where was his wife this early on a Sunday?

He ran a hand over his face and then got out of bed, trudging down to the kitchen.

Coming down the steps, he could hear muted whispers and giggles. More curious than ever, he continued his descent slowly and quietly.

"Ssh! You're gonna wake daddy," Elizabeth said softly, as their two daughters, Alison and Stevie, worked on something flat and wide that was shielded from Henry's view.

Alison giggled again, reaching for a bowl of what looked to be colored powder. "Daddy no hear!"

"Ali! You're making it dirty!" scolded Stevie as she set a small bottle of glitter glue down.

"Pretty, mommy?" asked Alison, looking up to their mom.

Elizabeth nodded, ruffling the brunette's hair.

Henry walked further in to the kitchen, not letting them become aware of his presence. From his experience, silence and giggles always meant the girls were up to something.

"I'm gonna run the blow dryer over it so that the glitter dries, okay?" said Elizabeth.

"And then daddy can wear it when he makes breakfast!" cried Stevie and then she brought her hands over her mouth, having realized she said it too loud.

She glanced back out of paranoia and found Henry standing sneakily behind them. Her hands dropped to her side, her jaw slackened, and then remembering to squeal, she turned around to cover whatever it was they were working on.

Henry sauntered closer, exchanging a playful look with his wife before asking, "Are my favorite girls trying to hide something from me?"

Stevie screamed some more and Alison copied her.

"Daddy, don't look!" yelled Stevie.

"Surprise!" said Alison, throwing her hands in the air, looking utterly pleased of being able to remember what they practiced earlier today.

Stevie sighed dramatically, giving up and letting Henry near their creation. It was an apron that said Best Chef Dad; random swirls, circles, and glitter dust were all over it thanks to Alison. It wasn't the best of aprons, not fit for commercial sale, but Henry felt warmth rise to his chest, a feeling of distinct pride he only began to feel when he became a father.

It was a wonderful birthday gift.

"Happy birthday, daddy," Stevie said shyly, still embarrassed over having been caught in the act of creating their present.

"Like it?" asked Alison brightly.

Stevie glanced up at their dad, waiting for his answer.

Henry stooped down and lifted both his girls up, eliciting surprised squeals from each of them.

"I love it!" He kissed his youngest daughter's nose. "It's a masterpiece—beautiful!"

"Ali made it dirty," grumbled Stevie.

Henry nuzzled his nose against Stevie's in reply, making her giggle. "I think the apron is just as beautiful as all of the statues in Rome that daddy studies."

"Really?" asked Stevie, eyes lighting up.

Henry nodded. "And you know what makes it more special than all the statues in the world?"

"What?" asked Stevie.

"I can wear it," he said in the most reverent of voices.

"We have to let it dry first," Stevie pointed out.

"Dry," repeated Alison.

Henry set both girls back down with a pretend impatient moan. "Aw man! I was really looking forward to wearing it when I make pancakes today."

Stevie was spurred into action by the complaint. "Mommy can dry it now! Right mommy?"

Elizabeth laughed, "Right away, Miss Stevie!" She picked up the hair dryer that they prepared and kept on the chair, plugged it in, and then began to run hot air over the work of art.

"Hey, hey," she called out to the kids, "Noodle, Stevie, clean up!"

The two girls obeyed and while they cleared out the table, Henry slipped his arms around his wife's waist, hugging her from behind as she worked.

"I was wondering where you'd gone," he whispered, resting his chin on the space between her shoulder and neck.

Elizabeth twisted her head to look at him, smiled, and kissed him good morning, saying happy birthday against his lips.

Turning back to the apron, she casually said, "You know, Ali and Stevie weren't the only ones who created a masterpiece."

"Oh, yeah? What did you make?"

"We," she corrected.

"We?"

"I'm pregnant."

Henry's hands slipped from Elizabeth's waist, completely taken aback by the revelation.

Elizabeth twisted around again and kissed him softly on the cheek, letting him take his time to absorb the news.

It was a few seconds later when she heard him mumble, 'masterpiece' under his breath.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think!**


	6. Elizabeth Plays

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Elizabeth plays.**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance, Humor**

"Damn it!"

Henry looked up from the stack of papers he was currently grading to find his wife frowning at her phone in consternation.

"What's wrong?"

"It's this game! It won't let me through!" Elizabeth flopped down beside him on their bed, phone still in her face as she did another attempt.

Henry took a peek at the game she was playing and found out she was grumbling over Candy Crush. Half of her candies were covered in chocolate.

He knew this game. He had played it a few times in the past in an attempt to understand his kids but haven't touched it since. In fact, the app was still in his phone.

He chuckled. "Why don't you give it a rest and then have a go at it after an hour? I find the mind comes up with new strategies after a break."

"No."

"Alright." He went back to the papers.

He managed to finish two when—"AARGH."

Henry looked up again and his wife was looking desperately at him.

"I need your phone."

Henry blinked. "Babe?"

"I need your phone."

Henry frowned, reaching for his phone on the bedside table and handing it over. "Why?"

"I need to send myself some lives."

"Elizabeth!" It wasn't supposed to be funny but Henry found himself smiling at her.

"What? It doesn't cost you anything to send me a life and I don't want to buy some more lives with real money because that would be giving in to these scheming, corporate game makers."

She tapped the screen of the phone multiple times, looking extremely pleased. "There. Thank you." She gave him back his phone, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before returning to her game.

Henry shook his head, highly amused. He put his phone back on the table. "You know, most wives ask for money or jewelry."

"I already have enough jewelry." She flashed him her beringed left hand and shook it, the bangles around her wrist making clinking sounds. And then she disappeared behind the phone again.

Henry shook his head, returning to reading his students' work. _St. Aquinas taught that there were four kinds of laws that can be used to determine the goodness of an act. These are eternal law, natural law, human law, and divine law. Natural law refers to—_

"I need your phone again."

Taking his glasses off, Henry said, "But you just asked—"

"Please," Elizabeth pouted.

Henry repressed a grin. "You're worse than my students. At least _they_ can let go of their phones for an hour, let alone five seconds."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. She let her phone fall to her side. "Are you challenging me?"

Henry raised an eyebrow in response.

"Oh, it's on, mister." She slowly swept aside the papers on his lap. "I don't touch my phone for one minute. If I win, you let me use it. But if you win, I stop playing Candy Crush forever."

"Deal," smirked Henry.

Elizabeth inched herself closer, moving to sit on his lap. She wrapped her legs around his waist, straddling him. Henry knew what she had in mind and also how this would likely end. But he didn't care and immediately cupped the back of her head and brought their lips together.

"You know, I'm starting to think this whole bet is a win-win for me."

"Hmm mm. Take off your shirt."

Henry did what he was told and then tugged at the waist bands of Elizabeth's pants. She slapped his hand away and Henry focused his ministrations elsewhere... like her hair...her earlobe... the dip of her collar bone...her lower lip.

Hands were fumbling everywhere now amidst moans of pleasure.

Elizabeth pressed her body even tighter against Henry's, hands snaking around his torso.

"Babe—" he tried to say but Elizabeth silenced him with a kiss. "Clothes off—" another kiss. "Hey!"

Elizabeth laughed mercilessly. She had managed to steal his phone from the bedside table.

She checked her watch. "One minute."

"Oh you play a mean game, Mrs. McCord."

 **A/N: So this is stupid and useless but the idea of Bess getting hung up on a game wouldn't leave me. Tell me what you think!**


	7. Struggling with Alone Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of the characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and this story is not for profit.**

 **Summary: Elizabeth and Henry struggle to spend some alone time.**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance**

It was 5 o'clock in the morning and neither parent had to get up for work yet.

Elizabeth turned over to her side to find her husband watching her. She blinked sleepily, blindly feeling for his hand under the covers.

"You're up early," she said, yawning.

"Couldn't sleep. You got home pretty late last night," said Henry.

She burrowed herself closer to him. "Conrad had us pull an all-nighter."

Henry traced a finger down his wife's jaw. "I miss you."

"I do too!" said Elizabeth, now fully awake. "I don't want to sound a bit clingy but, I miss being with you... As your wife not a mother or an analyst."

Henry sighed, dropping his hand to pull her close to him. He draped a leg over her body. "I know what you mean. There's never any time for us; the kids need our supervision and we have work."

"When was the last time we even had sex?"

There was a pause. And then, "I think when Jason was conceived."

"No!"

"Yeah."

"That's... It hasn't been that long, has it?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly.

Henry shrugged. "Well, if we had sex within the last two years, I honestly can't remember between the diaper changes and Ali's terrible twos."

"And now it's Jason's terrible twos," sighed Elizabeth.

"We can have sex now," suggested Henry, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah?" Elizabeth grinned.

Henry matched the look on her face, moving atop her and pinning her under him. "If we're lucky, the kids won't be up for a pretty long while. And who knows when's the next time we'll have a quiet moment like this all to ourselves?"

"Hmm. I like the way you think."

Henry leaned down for a kiss and they both took their time getting intimately reacquainted.

And then there was laughter.

Elizabeth turned her head away, looking for its source. "Ali!" Their four year old daughter was standing in their room, watching them curiously.

Silently thanking the saints that she and Henry hadn't progressed further than kissing and necking, she sat up, feeling like somebody dropped a bucket of cold water on her head.

"What is it, baby?"

"I'm hungry. Can we make pancakes?"

"Of course! Why don't you go wake your sister so she can help you with preparing the ingredients? Daddy and I'll be down in a minute."

Alison nodded cheerfully and then ran out.

Elizabeth slumped back on the bed.

Henry rubbed her arm. "Try again later?"

Elizabeth chuckled, "Or in a year."

They both got up and out of bed, walking out of the room together.

Entering the kitchen, they were greeted by the sight of their eldest daughter standing on a footstool, taking down ingredients from the cabinet, and handing them down to Alison who set them on the island. They must have also woken Jason because he was blearily rubbing his eyes from his crossed legged position on the kitchen floor.

The sight was endearing and it made both parents forget for a moment that this was the source of the bedroom interruption.

Henry clasped his hands together. "Alright! Pancakes! Who's gonna be my little helper today?"

Alison and Stevie jumped, hands shooting to the air.

While her husband and the kids worked on breakfast, Elizabeth scooped up her son and got him a cup of milk. After putting him on his seat at the table, she moved away to make coffee.

Amidst pouring coffee grounds, Elizabeth suddenly felt arms snake around her waist and a pair of lips to her neck.

She shivered.

"You wanna do Take Two at noon?" Henry whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth laughed. "We're scheduling this now?"

"Well, we have to make time for us." Henry kissed the tip of her earlobe. "Or at least, that's what Dr. Phil says." He pulled away and turned back to their daughters. "Are those eggs done, noodle?"

"Jason has that playdate," replied Elizabeth pouring coffee over two mugs. "And Dr. Phil? Really?"

Henry shrugged and then poured pancake mix over the pan. "How about at two?"

"Meeting." Elizabeth handed him his cup of coffee and then joined Jason at the table. "How about at 4? That'll give us approximately thirty minutes before I take Stevie and Ali for some mother-daughter bonding at the mall."

"Mom promised to buy those roller skate shoes, daddy," said Stevie.

Henry smiled at Stevie. "Those are the coolest shoes!" To Elizabeth, he said, "Can't. Departmental meeting." He placed one finished pancake on a plate and gave it to Stevie who carried it to the table for Jason to eat.

"Ok. I have it," he announced. "After we put the kids to bed. They'll be too tired from the day to even prolong taking a bath which means we'll have some time to ourselves. That's a sure deal."

Elizabeth smiled at him before returning to cutting Jason's pancakes into bite-sized bits. "I'll hold you to that, professor."

...

Elizabeth was distracted.

Instead of keeping an eye on her son during his playdate, she kept thinking about what was going to happen tonight. If Henry was right and it really _has_ been two years since they've done any lovemaking, she wanted it to be perfect.

Maybe she could buy something in the mall later, something sexy. Not that Henry wouldn't sleep with her if she didn't have sexy lingerie on. But when she does, the look on his face shoots tingles all over her body. And she _desperately_ missed those tingles.

Just then, a painful wail snapped her out of her musings and she looked towards the kids to find Jason sprawled on the floor.

Elizabeth rushed to him, another mother already kneeling down by his side.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked as the other mother handed Jason to her, a bleeding cut on his eyebrow.

"Managed to fall off the chair, head hit the T-Rex." The mother looked on sympathetically, pointing to the toy dinosaur. "I think it's more of the shock of it than the pain."

"Ooh, baby." Elizabeth looked her son over. She would have to clean the wound, which wasn't going to be easy with Jason squirming and crying.

It was a full ten minutes before she managed a bandaid to her son's split brow. It was another five minutes of comforting and soothing and then after that, Jason was running all over the place with the other children, his wound forgotten.

"Kids bounce back fast," said one mother. Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

She sent a quick text to Henry. _"Jason fell. Nothing serious just a split eyebrow. He's ok now but he might be a little fussy later when you pick him up at day care."_

Her husband replied shortly after. _"I'll try my best to be mommy for him when he asks for you because we know he will. Speaking of later, I can squeeze ten minutes before my departmental meeting. I can call you. I miss you."_

Elizabeth smirked. She glanced at Jason and then jokingly texted back, _"I'm not going to engage in phone sex with you, Henry."_

 _"Fine. I'll just call somebody else with my ten minutes."_

 _"I think Dr. Phil has 5 minutes free."_

"' _She's being a prude, Phil.'"_

Elizabeth giggled silently. _"Seriously though, I would appreciate you calling me. Miss your voice."_

 _"It's a date then. Don't keep your phone on silent. We all know you can't feel it vibrate."_

 _"Will do, Captain."_

 _"Oooh. Captain. Are we going to roleplay tonight?"_ Elizabeth can practically hear her husband's seductive voice in her ear.

 _"You'll have to wait until I get home to find out."_

After that, Elizabeth put her phone away, not wanting to get distracted a second time. Then, she continued to watch Jason, eyes never leaving him again for the rest of the hour.

By 3:30 PM, Elizabeth wished she could bounce back just as fast as her son. She was still in her meeting at Langley and things were complicated, not to mention tense. Well, working to avoid global catastrophes was always tense but she wished it would leave her with a little bit of energy to spare for a shopping trip with two excited little girls.

 _"I'm gonna have to pass on that phone call, babe."_ She texted Henry. _"Iraq isn't being very nice today and Conrad extended the meeting. I can't even leave the room to pee."_

 _"No problem. I'll let you make it up to me with a roleplay of my choice."_

Elizabeth stifled a laugh, not wanting to push her boss' buttons if he thought she was taking this meeting lightly.

With a reply of _"Anybody for you,"_ she put her phone face down at the table, and paid attention to the meeting again.

...

Henry had started out the day feeling optimistic and excited, even a bit naughty and playful, what with texting his wife majority of the day. But as he spent more and more time grading awful papers that simply didn't get better, and then learning in his departmental meeting that his superiors wanted the midterm grades a week early, his good mood had spiraled into a panic.

After the meeting, he snuck a few extra minutes cramming grades and reports, and then rushed out of the office to beat the traffic in order to pick up Jason from day care.

By the time he walked in the threshold of their house, all he wanted was to sleep. He was mentally exhausted but dinner needed to be cooked before the girls got home.

Boiling noodles and simmering pasta sauce at the same time, Henry bit back a desire to curse as a grumbling Jason ran up to him and cried for Elizabeth. Henry tried to pick him up but Jason fought against him.

"Jase, mommy isn't here right now. She'll be back soon," said Henry, crouching down to his son's level.

"Mommy!" his son insisted, tears streaming down his face.

"How about we watch some ninja turtles while we wait, huh?"

Jason only shrieked even louder.

"Come on, Jason! We're supposed to be a team!" said Henry, standing up to remove the pan of pasta sauce and transferring it to a bowl. Then, he picked Jason up (who resisted) and tried to keep him occupied, at least until the noodles were cooked and mommy came home.

...

"We're home!" cried Elizabeth, kicking the front door closed behind her as she balanced shopping bags in her arms.

"In here!" Henry cried back from the living room.

Stevie and Alison ran straight to him.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look at our new shoes!" cried Alison.

"Wow! Very pretty!"

"It has skates, see?" added Stevie, rolling around him.

"Whaaat! That's amazing! I want one!"

Elizabeth dumped the shopping bags in the foyer, calling out, "No skating in the house!"

"Uh-oh. You heard mom."

Elizabeth joined them in the living room. Alison and Stevie were retracting the wheels of their shoes while Jason was looking very put out and red faced beside Henry on the couch. The minute the boy saw his mother, he held up his arms, wanting to be carried.

"Hi," said Elizabeth, tiredly pecking her husband on the lips and then lifting Jason up who immediately wrapped his arms tight around her, head resting on the crook of her neck.

"Hi." Noting her lack of energy, Henry commented. "I see the girls wore you out at the mall. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

Elizabeth snorted. "You look pretty beat yourself."

"Well, teenagers, department heads, dinner and a two-year-old can do that to you."

Elizabeth sent her husband an inquiring look with a point at Jason.

"He missed his mommy," Henry explained.

"And mommy wasn't here," Elizabeth concluded sadly. She rubbed Jason's back. "It's that eyebrow. I'm sorry, baby. I'm here now."

"We better eat." Henry got up and herded them to the kitchen. "Wash hands before eating, girls."

"Has the little guy eaten?" Elizabeth asked Henry as he pulled out a chair for her. She sat down, Jason still clinging to her neck, and ate slowly.

"Hmm mm. He was really hungry after loudly sobbing for you. And then once he finished eating, he just sulked for you some more"

"Maybe Jason's sad he didn't get to go shopping too," said Alison. She reached out a hand to touch Jason's head. "It's okay, Jason. You can share my skating shoes."

Elizabeth smiled gratefully at her daughter. "You're such a nice big sister, noodle."

After dinner, Jason finally fell asleep in Elizabeth's arms and she put him to bed early. The two girls, however, were still brimming with energy even after their bath. When Elizabeth and Henry checked up on them after washing the dishes, they found Stevie reading a story to her younger sister.

"But why does the cat only have four mittens?" asked Alison.

"Because the story said so," replied Stevie.

Henry chuckled before interrupting them, "Alright. Time to sleep, girls."

"But daddy the cat's mittens!"

"Will still be there tomorrow. Now, you have to go to bed because you have school in the morning."

Stevie nodded. "And you and mommy have work."

"That's right," said Elizabeth, taking the book away and putting it on top of the dresser. "We have to get the right amount of sleep so we're not tired tomorrow."

"I'm not tired," insisted Alison, trying to stifle a yawn but failing.

"Your mouth says you are," said Henry, tucking the youngest in her bed while Elizabeth did the same to Stevie.

With all of that over, the two parents walked back to their own bedroom and finally found themselves alone together.

Silently, they changed into their sleepwear and brushed their teeth. Then, they walked over to their respective sides of the bed and locked eyes. This was it. This was the moment where they get some much deserved alone time to do things not related to their children or work at all.

After a day of imagining all of the things he'd do to his wife, Henry couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth, "You want to just—"

"Sleep?" interrupted Elizabeth.

Henry nodded appreciatively. "Sleep."

"Sleep is still sexy," reassured Elizabeth, climbing into bed.

"Right?" Henry climbed in after her. "Sleepy is the new sexy." He spooned against her and they both ended up losing consciousness, too drained to do anything more.

Maybe they'll have better luck tomorrow.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think! I'm also running out of ideas so if you guys have any requests, just drop it in a review.**


	8. Going for Three

**A/N: For a guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this.**

 **Summary: "You're the one who wanted to go for three."**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Family, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance**

The week wasn't going very well for Elizabeth McCord.

It's Thursday and it's been four days since she last saw her family, four days since she had a proper shower, four days since she ate anything other than cereal.

A desk job at Langley was supposed to be a breeze. That was one of the reasons she signed up for it when she became a mother in the first place. But monitoring terrorists, and analyzing their movements and motives down to the tiniest dot, all in the confines of a room was not the calming breeze she was expecting.

It was a hurricane that managed to knock her senses out the window, leaving her sleep deprived, exhausted, cranky, and nauseous to the point that whenever her boss came for updates, she had to restrain herself from strangling him by his bow tie.

Elizabeth guiltily thought back to the phone call she had with her daughter this morning.

Parenting over the phone seemed to be the week's norm. Thank goodness for Henry being the capable husband and father that he is, managing fine without her. Although he couldn't do anything about their daughters missing their mother which was what the early morning phone call was about.

"When are you coming back?" Stevie had asked her demandingly.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Elizabeth told her, prickling with annoyance at the interruption to the only five minute window of sleep that she had.

"But you said that yesterday! Mommy, I don't know what you look like anymore!" Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. "I want you back! Daddy doesn't make the bath bubbles right and—"

"Stevie," Elizbeth sharply cut in, "Mom's really busy okay. I can't go home if I don't finish my work and I can't finish my work if you keep bothering me." She sucked in a breath, reminding herself that her daughter wasn't the bad guy. "Baby, I need you to be a little patient okay. I promise that as soon as I can, I'll be home to make your bath bubbles."

Stevie muttered a soft "okay" and then hung up.

The minute it was over, Elizabeth felt awful. She promised herself never to take it out on her kids, never to let the job interfere. But it happened anyway. The shame was enough to make her run to the bathroom and throw up.

Isabelle found her crouched down and heaving inside one of the cubicles.

"God, Bess, you're not pregnant again are you?" Isabelle had asked and although it was an offhanded comment, the thought only made Elizabeth throw up some more.

She can't be pregnant. She can't be going through three cups of coffee a day, barely getting a wink of sleep, tracking terrorists, juggling parenting a two year old and a six year old, _and_ be pregnant. She can't deal with stress at work and the stress her body's gonna give her.

But with the idea planted in her mind, she can't shake it off. Suddenly it all made sense, the reason why she's mad all the time, why she's nauseous, why her boobs are sore, and why her period's late.

 _Damn it._

Elizabeth blinked back tears. She really didn't want to be pregnant right now.

So, after having thrown up what little of the breakfast she had and failing to get through the remainder of the day, she finally rang up her husband, desperate to quell the anxiety that was rising up in her.

"Hey, babe!" Henry sounded annoyingly cheerful and well-rested.

"I think I might be pregnant," Elizabeth blurted out. There was silence on the other end and she hastily filled it. "I'm tired. I'm hormonal. I threw up more than once. And my boobs are sore and I missed my cycle."

"Babe, that's great!" came Henry's reply and it irked Elizabeth. Henry was always pushing to have a third child but they had put off the conversation until Alison was past her second year. "Not the throwing up part. The part where we're having a baby. But you don't sound pretty excited. What's wrong? You don't want this?"

Elizabeth asked herself the same question. Did she want this? She enjoyed being a mother, didn't she?

"It's not that I don't want it. I just don't want to be pregnant at _this_ point in time. We're barely balancing work and the girls, and we want to add another baby into this? I just—" her voice broke and she started to cry. "See? These damn pregnancy hormones are getting in the way and I'm barely coming up with intel on this case." She ran a hand through her hair; a few strands came away with it. "Henry, even my hair's starting to fall out! And you should've heard me talk to Stevie this morning. I was short with her when the only crime she committed was to miss her mother."

"Listen, hey, hey! Elizabeth, listen to me. Take a deep breath."

Elizabeth inhaled deeply, pressing the phone tighter to her ear.

"We're not even sure about whether or not you're pregnant. Babe, you're stressed and you're tired—you're overwhelmed," said Henry. "So, what about I go and buy some pregnancy tests on my way to pick up the girls? And then you come home to us tonight, get some rest, and we can find out together."

"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I'll pick up the girls." The thought of leaving work was starting to make her feel better and she managed to breathe easier. "I'll get out early. Isabelle can cover for me. Just meet me at home."

"Okay but babe?" Elizabeth didn't answer but she knew Henry knew she was listening. "We'll freak out when it's something, alright?"

She noticed he used the word 'we' and she loved her husband even more at that moment for being willing to put aside his longing for a third child and worry _with_ her.

"Okay. Yeah. I'll see you tonight."

After speaking with Isabelle, Elizabeth left for Stevie's school.

She double parked by the street of the elementary building and then got out of the car, leaning against it as she waited for her daughter to come out and join the throng of students outside.

Elizabeth spotted her daughter first. Her shoulder length hair was an unruly mess under the headband she was wearing and she was lazily hitting her snack box against the side of her thigh.

Stevie's eyes widened when she saw her mother and she broke into a run straight towards her.

"Mommy!" She crashed into Elizabeth's outstretched arms. "You're here! You're here!"

Elizabeth hugged her daughter, inhaling the smell of her shampoo and showering her head with kisses. "Yes, I'm here. I finished work extra super fast just to see you. I missed you so much, baby!"

Stevie pulled away. "Are you coming home now?"

Elizabeth nodded, fixing her daughter's hair. "Yep. And even better: you and I are gonna share a bubble bath like we used to do when you were little."

The look of delight on Stevie's face made leaving work early worth it. "Yay!"

They both got inside the car and Elizabeth drove to pick up Alison from day care next.

In the backseat, Stevie rifled through her backpack and took out a piece of paper. She leaned over between the two front seats, waving the paper at her mother.

"I got a star on my homework today, mommy," Stevie said proudly.

Elizabeth gave it a passing glance and saw that it contained words instead of the drawings she expected.

"I can't read it right now, baby. Mom's driving. How about you read it to me?"

"Okay," said Stevie with a shrug. "Well, Miss Peters gave us homework yesterday to do something kind and to write the kind things we did. So, I did this: 'I helped daddy make dinner. He was tired so I washed the dishes and gave him a massage. I cleaned up my sister's toys and gave her a bath. Daddy also missed my mommy so my sister and I slept in his room so that he won't be alone.'"

Elizabeth smiled at the road. "You did that for dad?"

"Yeah!"

"Good girl! Taking care of Ali and dad while I was away. You deserve a prize."

"Bubble bath!"

Elizabeth laughed as they approached the day care. "Yep. A bubble bath."

...

Glancing at her two kids from the rearview mirror, Elizabeth saw the older sister tickle the younger in her car seat.

The sounds of the girls shrieking and laughing only served to make Elizabeth's day a hundred times better.

Now that she had the clarity to think, Elizabeth remembered her two previous pregnancies; she hadn't been ready for the girls then too. Henry was on his last tour in Afghanistan when they were expecting Stevie, and when Alison was coming, he was working for the NSA while she was co-heading a department.

Neither two times had been the right time to fall pregnant no matter how much family planning she and Henry did. She distinctly remembered the fear and anxiety of screwing up her kids. But there they were, the most perfect, good little girls, shrieking in laughter in the backseat of the car, not wanting for anything except maybe the right kind of bath bubbles.

Maybe she overreacted earlier today. Maybe having another baby wouldn't be so bad. Henry's always been wanting to go for three.

Elizabeth pulled up in the driveway and they all entered the house.

Before the two girls could go anywhere, Elizabeth said, "Okay, you two. To mommy's bathroom. We're gonna have a bubble bath."

Stevie jumped up in glee and Alison copied her.

The two girls ran up the stairs, Elizabeth following.

Minutes later, the three of them were in the tub and Alison and Stevie were smearing bubbles all over their mother's face.

"We're making you Mama Santa Clause," snickered Stevie.

Elizabeth gathered up small clumps of bubbles and put it on Alison's and Stevie's chins. "That makes you two Baby Clause."

Alison giggled and splashed water to their faces. "Kloss, mama."

Elizabeth scooped up some more bubbles and then blew it away from them.

Alison did the same, letting out a wet "Pllffftt."

The door to the bathroom swung open and Henry casually leaned against the door frame.

"Daddy!" greeted Stevie, blowing bubbles in his direction.

"Wow. A bubble party! Can I join?" Henry asked, walking over and crouching down beside the tub.

Alison nodded while Stevie shook her head, saying "We can't fit, dad. You're too big."

Elizabeth scrunched up her nose and voiced her agreement. "Yeah. And this is a Girls Only bubble bath party."

"If we have a baby brother, daddy, you can have a Boys Only party," said Stevie.

"Oh, yeah?" Henry stood up and kicked off his shoes.

"Daddy no!" said Stevie, laughing and pressing herself closer to her mother.

With his clothes still on, Henry climbed in the tub amidst the shrieks and protests of the girls. Water sloshed over to the bathroom floor as he settled opposite them. Then, he pulled Stevie and Alison to his side, tickling them.

"Aaaah! Mommy help!"

Elizabeth laughed, shaking her head in reply. "Nope. I'm gonna stay in this side."

Henry raised a soggy, dripping, sock-clad foot and nudged his wife in the arm.

Elizabeth made a face. "Eww! Dad! Stop!"

Minutes later, when the bubbles began to disappear, Elizabeth herded the kids out of the tub and tasked Stevie into putting some dry clothes on herself and her younger sister.

Finally alone, Elizabeth crawled to Henry's side, leaning her back against his chest.

Henry wrapped his arms around her. "I see a relaxing bubble bath helped," he said.

Elizabeth hummed. "That and spending some time with the girls." She captured his hand and played with it. "So I may have panicked over the phone when I called you today."

Henry chuckled. "It's alright to panic. You're dealing with a lot right now."

Elizabeth twisted around, "But that's hardly an excuse. We dealt with even more when we had Stevie and Alison."

"Yeah but babe, you never worked four days straight then either."

Elizabeth settled against him again. "I was worried, Henry. I _am_ worried—worried that I'm turning into a mother I'll hate, worried that one mistake can cost me millions of lives _and_ a relationship with my family."

"Hey," Henry squeezed her shoulders. "The world doesn't rest on your shoulders alone."

"I know that… When I picked up the girls today and when we were playing in the bath tub, I felt pure, unimaginable joy. No matter how tired I was, I felt like I could run a marathon for them… You know, Stevie also told me about her Kindness Homework. I'm so proud of her for taking care of Ali and of you when I wasn't around. She's such a big girl now."

"Yeah."

"We didn't screw her up, Henry. _I_ didn't. And it made me think of the other times I fretted over having a baby… There's never a _perfect_ time to have one. You're never ready, at least not emotionally. But you take it anyway because… it's what you want."

"Are you saying… you want another baby?"

"I'm saying... if our love created another baby, I would accept the gift. If I'm pregnant or not... either way, I'll be fine with it."

Henry kissed her shoulder blade and Elizabeth, drew her knees to her chest, turned her body around so that she and Henry were completely facing each other.

"Besides," she began to unbutton his wet shirt. "I kind of want a boy this time, a tiny you. He'd be really cute."

"That's what I've been telling you!"

Elizabeth laughed, hitting him gently on his chest.

...

Elizabeth stood over the bathroom counter, staring at three separate pregnancy tests.

Henry stood behind her, hands resting on her shoulders.

"It's time," he said.

Elizabeth slowly turned the three tests over, eyes searching for the positive sign on the edges of the sticks.

Her eyes prickled with tears and she turned around, pressing her face to Henry's chest.

Henry hugged her tight to him, rubbing her back as she mourned the loss of a baby that was never there.

She resurfaced from his chest for air. "I don't know what's wrong with me. If I'm not pregnant why am I nauseous and mad and sore? Why are my eyes leaking? Why is my period a week late?!"

Henry caressed her face, sliding a thumb over her cheeks. "You've had a tough week. You haven't slept, you haven't even eaten a proper meal, your body changes when it's stressed, babe. You weren't wrong to suspect you were pregnant."

Elizabeth looked down, biting her lips. "I didn't know how much I wanted to be pregnant until we found out I wasn't."

Henry nudged her chin up slowly. "Hey, we can always make another one."

"Go for three?" She asked, eyes trailing to Henry's lips.

"Not tonight," Henry chuckled. "The making of baby number three can wait until tomorrow. The last thing you need is to lose some more sleep."

Elizabeth considered his point. "Tomorrow. Promise?"

"I promise."

"And you'll tell your little soldiers to give us a baby boy?" She twirled a finger and pointed it down to a certain area of his body.

Henry laughed, happy his wife was in the mood to joke again. He nodded. "I'll tell them."

They walked out of the bathroom.

"But of course a baby girl will be just as welcome," said Elizabeth.

"We just won't stop until we get a baby boy."

"Correct."

"And lose sleep until we get the boy."

"Yup."

"I love you," said Henry, taking her by the hand before she got too far away from him and slowly kissing her on the lips.

Elizabeth moaned softly. "I thought we were gonna start making a baby tomorrow."

"Just a sneak peek," said Henry before stealing one more kiss.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think.**


	9. A Late Night Conversation

**A/N: For a guest who requested a fluffy cuddly moment between our McCord couple before they go to sleep.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this story.**

 **Summary: Henry and Elizabeth have a late night conversation.**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance**

Henry's eyes fly open, taking in the darkness of the bedroom. He can hear his wife's even breathing beside him. He doesn't know how but he's certain Elizabeth is still awake. When you've been married for more than two decades, you just know.

He turns over to his side and not a second later, Elizabeth turns to face him, the whites of her eyes very visible in the darkness.

"You think I'm making the right decision?" She asks, breaking the silence of the night.

 _I should've known she'd overthink this_ , Henry thinks with an amused smirk. He also knows that when his wife overthinks, she needs his clarity and counsel. "Well, are you doing it because Russell Jackson wants you to do it? Or are you doing it because _you_ want you to do it?"

"Russell Jackson," replies Elizabeth and then after a pause, follows it up with a "and me." She turns away from him, lying flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Russell Jackson and me wants me to do it."

Henry props up an elbow, waiting for his wife to continue because she has more on her mind than she lets on.

Finally, Elizabeth turns to Henry again, and mirrors his position. "It's just... It's a good way to get our advocacy out there and especially get the youth involved. "

"It's definitely a more modern way of reaching teenagers," nods Henry, agreeing.

"That and it'll be good PR."

Henry snorts a laugh. "That's Russell talking."

Elizabeth chuckles at the truth in the statement. "Russell and Daisy, you mean." Then, she grows silent as her mind continues to whirl. Beside her, Henry waits patiently, letting her make up her mind, letting her feel comfortable with the idea. Eventually, her eyes meet his and she says, "If I do this, I'll be able to reach out to the younger generation—the future of this country—then they can be more aware, more informed. I'd make foreign policy less foreign, Henry. It's the perfect platform."

"So, what's stopping you? What's keeping you awake tonight?"

"I keep coming back to how big a commitment it's going to be. If I do it, it's going to mean taking my work home with me, less time with the kids, with you."

"Okay, hold up." Henry rests a hand on his wife's arm. "First of all, it's not like you don't already take work home with you. Ah ah," he says when Elizabeth opened her mouth to disagree, "I've seen you fall asleep on the couch drooling on budget reports. What's the harm in adding to it? Second of all, I don't think it's going to take you away from the kids. In fact, they'll be glad to help you, teach you the ropes—even work with you."

"As for my third point," his voice drops to a sultry tone as he nudges her over so that Elizabeth is lying on her back once more. Then, he climbs atop her. "Do you really think I'm gonna let a little advocacy, no matter how much for the greater good it's going to be, interrupt my alone time with my wife?"

Elizabeth grins and Henry kisses her softly. She responds, albeit a little bit reluctantly and he knows there's still something left on her mind.

"What if I screw up?" Elizabeth mumbles against his lips and Henry pulls back a fraction. There's a light blush on her cheeks from admitting that tiny fear, the last thing stopping her from embracing the plan. "I can't just delete everything. Everything I do will be archived, it's going to be promoted, criticized."

Henry looks pensive. "That's true. It's tricky business taking photos and videos of your advocacy, choosing the proper filter, and then posting them on Snapchat. I mean, which filter do you use?"

"Yes! Exactly! According to Daisy different filters have different meanings. And between you and me, you've always been more adept at all the social media stuff than I am."

"That dog filter's always the popular one."

"What dog—" Elizabeth narrows her eyes at Henry and then pushes him off of her. "You're mocking my Snapchat illiteracy."

Henry chuckles and then pulls her back to him. She doesn't protest. "Well, it's a good thing I'm an amazing teacher because I will be more than happy to spend some time after class tutoring you."

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow playfully. "And what's on the syllabus exactly?"

Henry leans down and whispers, "the perfect filter," before wiping the devilish smile off her face with a kiss.

 **A/N: Elizabeth making a Snapchat account is something I think could actually happen. Sort of Michelle Obama-esque. Anyway, tell me what you think!**


	10. First Anniversary Pains

**A/N: I've been working on a few requests for months now but I am never satisfied with the outcome. I've finally put them all to rest so I can work on a new one and update this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this story.**

 **Summary: First anniversary pains**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance**

"This isn't a good idea," stated Elizabeth, looking around the shop warily. She may have had a few glasses of wine but she's not too drunk as to commit to _this_ kind of decision without sitting on it for about… a week.

Henry's eyes were alight with excitement as he scanned the various artworks posted on the walls of the tattoo salon. "What are you talking about? It's a _great_ idea!"

"We're under the influence of alcohol," said Elizabeth in a deadpan manner.

"That's what makes it's a _fantastic_ idea." Henry ignored her pointed look and dragged her over to a framed design that featured intertwined geometric figures. "And you were the one who suggested we get a tattoo to mark our first anniversary."

"I know, but I didn't think about it very well. Henry, I'm a spy!" Elizabeth hissed. "A spy can't have an identifiable marking."

Henry looked at her. "Babe, you're an analyst. Not a field agent. Besides, it doesn't have to be visible."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply but someone beat her to it.

"He's right," says a woman who just came out of an office. Most of our clients want their tattoos intimate and personal. Some choose to put it on their boobs, their hips, the navel, behind the ear." She extended out her right hand. "Hi. I'm Rose, one of the artists in the house. How may I help you?"

There was an elegantly twisted pattern on her wrist.

Henry took her hand and shook it. "I'm Henry and this is my wife, Elizabeth. We're out celebrating our first wedding anniversary and we thought to get a tattoo to mark the occasion."

"It's not going to hurt, is it?" Elizabeth's eyes darted from Rose's inked wrist to the brush strokes on her arm. She searched for more tattoos but those two were the only visible ones.

"Well, that depends on your pain meter and where you want it done. Seeing as you want it hidden, that would mean somewhere around intimate areas of your body which will be more sensitive to the pain than say, your arm or your leg."

She raised her top and revealed a strange marking on the curve of her breast. "This was a seven out of 10."

Elizabeth swiftly turned to Henry, her eyes wide. "I'm not getting one on my boob."

"I'll give you guys some time to decide," smiled Rose. "Just ring the bell to let us know when you're ready." She slowly walked away, leaving the couple a moment to themselves.

Henry took both of his wife's hands and pulled her close. "Babe, if you don't want to do this, it's fine. We can go back to the hotel and finish those strawberries."

Elizabeth sighed. "I _do_ want it… I'm just scared to do it."

"Okay. How about we get a _reaalllyyy_ small tattoo," said Henry causing Elizabeth to grin, "and at the least painful body part."

"Deal."

…

"Henry!" growled Elizabeth from her spot in the reclining chair which was a counter away from her husband.

The tattoo artists currently doing Henry's ring finger was repressing a grin. The married couple were their only customers for the late hour and the wife had been screaming expletives since the needle first struck her own finger. Her husband had replied with some soothing words that didn't help at all.

"Just a few more, Elizabeth," Rose said softly, not taking her eyes away from her client's finger.

Elizabeth let out a series of curses, some of them directed at her husband or herself, others at her assigned tattoo artist. "Next time I'm taking you to a waxing salon!" she yelled at Henry, trying her hardest not to wriggle her fingers.

"You two have kids?" asked Rose in an attempt to distract her customer from the pain.

"There is no way that I am gong through labor pains for _him!_ I'm—ARGH! Jeez, Rose! Take it easy!"

"And we're done."

She felt the pressure against her finger cease, leaving only a pulsing pain as Rose put the needle away.

"I think that went rather well for your first time," said Rose.

Elizabeth shakily lifted her left hand, bringing it closer for inspection. There was a thin black line encircling her ring finger which she plans to conceal behind her own wedding and engagement rings.

It was perfect.

What she told Henry earlier in the night was true. She didn't want a visible tattoo partly because of her job but also for the reason being that she wanted to keep it personal and intimate—just between the two of them.

A shadow fell across her hand and she looked up to find her husband gazing down at her.

His tender smile slipped off his face and in its place was a small grimace. "I'm so sorry! Your screams hurt me more than the tattoo did. If I could just—"

"Hey!" Elizabeth cut in. "We all know I'm a wuss and I might have passed out if it lasted a little longer... but I don't regret anything." She pulled Henry down by his hand to give him a kiss but he snatched his hand away, hissing as he shook it.

"Careful, babe! It's still tender."

"Baby, I'm sorry!" cried Elizabeth, half chuckling, half cringing.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think! And I still accept requests while I figure out a way to complete your old ones!**


	11. Adjusting to the job

**A/N: The request was Elizabeth/Henry sneak out, away from prying eyes of their security detail. I had to scrap the draft after months of trying to make it work, and what came out was this.**

 **Summary: Adjusting to the job.**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance, Family**

Elizabeth gasped, angling her neck so as to give her husband access to more skin. Henry trailed a few more kisses down his wife's collar bone.

It was around 5:30 in the morning and the quickie they had agreed on upon waking was starting to be anything but.

A hand caressed Elizabeth's thigh. An article of clothing was lost between the sheets and pillows. Another moan escaped, this time coming from Henry.

There was a buzzing sound by the nightstand.

Elizabeth shot out a hand to grab her phone while Henry continued his ministrations on her thighs.

 _Sweep in five minutes, ma'am,_ stated a text from Fred Cole, the head of her security detail.

Since Elizabeth had been appointed Secretary of State a week ago, diplomatic security agents had been texting her everyday about a random time that they had decided to do a sweep on the house for bugs and other electronic dangers.

It was unfortunate that they were choosing to do a sweep in five minutes. She closed her eyes and sighed. This was the first time since she started her new job that she and Henry managed to get any time together.

"Work?" asked Henry, removing his lips from her clavicle and then proceeding to go lower.

Elizabeth bit back another moan. She gripped Henry's hair and gently pulled his head back up to face her. "Fred's sweeping in 5 minutes."

Henry flashed a naughty grin. "I can finish in five minutes. I'll be in and out."

He lowered his head again and Elizabeth pulled him back up before he managed to distract her completely. " _I_ can't. _We_ can't. Ugh." She felt Henry's full weight as he sagged on top of her.

"I'm continuing this later," came his muffled voice.

Elizabeth sympathetically ran her fingers through his hair as she chuckled. "I'm counting on it."

One more kiss and they were both up and putting on their robes. Elizabeth then went out to inform Jason and Alison about the sweep.

She knocked on her daughter's door, saying in a loud voice, "Sweep in five minutes, Noodle." She did the same outside of Jason's room.

Jason came out, an exasperated look on his face. "This is a violation of my constitutional rights. I have the right to refuse entry to any law enforcement officer that doesn't have a warrant to go rifling through my stuff!"

"Jace, it's 5 in the morning."

A startled scream was heard coming from the kitchen, interrupting Jason's comeback. Elizabeth whirled around to find Alison jogging up the staircase. "Thanks for not telling me about the sweep, mom! Now your detail has seen me in my ratty pajamas!"

"But I _did_ —" Elizabeth gestured to her daughter's closed door. "I knocked—I… nevermind."

Alison huffed, marched to her bedroom and then came out with a bathrobe on just as Fred and Agent Matt came up the second floor with scanning devices.

Elizabeth looked at her daughter apologetically before rubbing a hand on the latter's back.

"Morning, ma'am. Morning, Miss McCord, Mr. McCord" said Fred, ignoring Jason's icy glare. There wasn't even a hint on his or Matt's faces that they had seen Ali in her 'ratty pajamas'—a fact that Elizabeth was grateful for.

"Dr. McCord in the bedroom, ma'am?" asked Fred.

"Hmm mm," nodded Elizabeth, "You can go in. He knows you're coming."

Fred proceeded to her bedroom while Matt went towards the opposite direction, towards Jason's room.

"Come on, Noodle," said Elizabeth, putting an arm around Alison. "Let's cook breakfast."

Alison frowned, her thoughts too centered on the embarrassing situation that she neglected to point out her mother didn't have the ability to _cook_ breakfast. "I hate random sweeps," she groaned.

Elizabeth sighed, choosing not to share that she and Henry were also close to being seen in something less than ratty pajamas. "Oh, we'll get used to them… hopefully."

...

Getting used to the security detail didn't appear to be happening anytime soon. Everybody was still getting to know each other.

Jason, for instance, had taken to probing the agents by the front door about state secrets. He did this every morning before going to school. The agents would smile and reply with some detail that Jason could never be sure was factual or made up for the purpose of humoring him.

Nevertheless, the morning interrogation was something he looked forward to.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was hell bent on "hazing" her detail. She wanted to test their limits, see how far she can get away with certain things, and especially determine Fred Cole's flexibility and responsiveness on the job.

She had already discovered during the first week that sneaking out under Fred's eye would be impossible. The man was very protective. She surmised it had something to do with the previous Secretary of State's death.

This week, however, she had something planned to make him loosen up a bit.

She opened the front door one early Tuesday morning, delighted to see that her agents weren't going to go jogging in a suit and tie but had changed into some jogging pants as well.

"Ready to sweat it, boys?" she asked, slipping on a pair of sunglasses.

"We'll be close by, ma'am," said Fred kindly.

Elizabeth nodded and then started her morning run. She and the agents jogged out of the neighborhood and were soon entering the local park.

There were already the usual early joggers present and she waited to pass between a group of elderly people before she sped off in a sudden bout of speed, leaving her detail significantly behind.

She glanced back, satisfied that she had a moment to herself for a while before she saw Fred catching up.

Elizabeth barked a laugh before dashing away again.

A few minutes later, she collapsed on a bench, out of breath from running too fast and laughing at the same time. Fred was standing beside her, having successfully caught up. The two other agents were still another bench away but were nearing them.

"Ma'am," said Fred in an admonishing tone after taking two gulps of air.

Elizabeth broke into giggles and finally, Fred let a grin break out on his face too.

Elizabeth wagged a finger at him. "I really thought I was going to lose you around that corner."

"You almost did, ma'am," said Fred, letting out a few chuckles himself. It was rare that Elizabeth ever saw him good humored. "Although, I would like to ask that you never repeat that stunt, Madam Secretary. I'm just trying to do my job."

"I know, I know." Elizabeth said. She rose to her feet and patted Fred on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. I appreciate what you're doing. But you need to loosen up a bit, Fred. Those elderly ladies wouldn't have kidnapped me. I'm former CIA, you know."

"So you keep reminding me."

"Hey, at least now we know Kendall and Matt need to do some more track training."

She jogged in place and then together, she and Fred started off once more, but this time at a normal pace, discussing family and interests as they did so.

Having running buddies may not be so bad, Elizabeth thought.

…

After the Hazing Incident, Elizabeth was under the impression that she was finally getting used to the presence of her detail. She got to know them more as days passed and she was even exchanging a few jokes with them.

She should have known it was going to be short-lived.

It was the weekend—a relatively stress-free weekend which Elizabeth was very thankful for.

"Hi, mom! You're home early," noted Alison as she came up to her mother, who had just walked in the front door, and gave her a welcoming kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, I know!" replied Elizabeth, a wide smile on her face. She quickly scanned the living room as she dropped her bags to the floor. "Is everyone home? Jason? Dad?"

"Yep. Why?"

Elizabeth's eyes lit up. She cupped her hands around her mouth and cried out, "JASON! HENRY!" She turned to Alison, "I want everybody down here. We are going to go out! We haven't been out as a family ever since I got this crazy job and I miss everyone so much!"

Alison giggled. "Out? As in just us? No security guys?"

"Unfortunately, they're part of Team McCord now."

Alison's smile fell. It couldn't be any clearer that she wasn't too keen on being seen with her mom's security detail.

"Oh, come on, baby! I know you don't like it when they're around but can we not make an issue out of it tonight? It's my _only_ free time to hang out with you guys."

"Okay, okay!" Alison said, raising her hands in defeat.

"Thank you!" Elizabeth called after her daughter as Alison walked up the staircase.

Alison ran into her brother and father upon reaching the landing.

"Hey, what did mom want?" asked Jason.

"McCord bonding time," Alison replied, squeezing herself between the two men, eager to get a change of clothes in the shortest amount of time as possible.

"McCord bonding time? Yay," said Henry before continuing down the steps.

After ten minutes, they were all ready to leave. They drove to their destination: an ice cream parlor that Henry and Elizabeth frequented in college.

There was a small weekend crowd, but it wasn't too packed as to prevent the family plus security to get a table. Unfortunately, it also meant that their party attracted attention, especially with Agent Matt's bulky frame.

Many customers began to murmur and stare and Elizabeth caught a few speculative words along the lines of "celebrity," "rich mogul," and a correct identification of "the Secretary of State." She tried her hardest to ignore it, focusing instead on coming up with some really good ice cream combination.

Alison was quietly standing by her side, not wanting to ruin the evening for her mother. But her silence, which was uncharacteristic of her personality, only dampened Elizabeth's mood.

"I hate this!" she growled to Henry later that evening in the privacy of their bedroom. "Nobody would have noticed us if it weren't for my detail! Did you see Alison's face? I could tell she was upset."

She yanked off her shoes and carelessly tossed them to the ground.

"Our first time out as a family since forever! The one free night away from work!" Henry watched as Elizabeth started to aggressively unbutton her blouse. If she wasn't careful, she was going to rip her favorite top and then be more upset.

He grabbed her hands, stilling them in their angry treatment of her buttons. He placed them at her side and unbuttoned her blouse for her.

"And that toddler throwing napkins at Fred to get his attention," Elizabeth went on. "If that kid's parents didn't stop him I might have maybe, I don't know, lobbed a tissue back in his face."

When Henry was done, she took off her blouse and it joined her shoes on the floor.

She slumped down on the bed, twiddling with her skirt. "I signed up for this Henry. But the kids didn't. You should've seen Alison, glumly eating her strawberry ice cream. Eating ice cream is supposed to be a happy moment!" She looked up at her husband desperately. "You're supposed to tell me this is going to get better."

Henry gazed down at his wife before joining her on their bed. "This isn't about entirely about ice cream, is it?"

There was silence.

"No," came Elizabeth's soft reply. She let out a deep breath and then said, "I'm not used to the attention any more than Ali is and I don't want it any more than she does. We're not… I was an analyst. _I_ was the one observing people, studying them. But this time, it's the other way around and it's… new... and disconcerting... and takes some getting used to."

She looked away from Henry, feeling a bit ashamed for admitting her insecurity out loud. Did she make the right decision for herself, for her family in choosing this job?

"You should have seen me out in my morning run with the guys last time. It was _perfect._ They were in workout clothes, they blended in—it felt normal, almost like hanging out with friends. Except, you know, they can kill people."

Henry chuckled. "Well, maybe that's why. Jogging isn't something work related. Neither were Fred and the others wearing their uniform which made for a very casual experience." He nudged her gently. "Why don't you talk to Fred and make a deal with him? Plain clothes when we're out on personal matters and a uniform during your office hours… at least until everybody adjusts and gets used to your new job."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, letting the idea sink in. Her lips formed a smile. "You always have the best ideas, Dr. McCord." Both husband and wife leaned closer towards each other, reducing the distance between them.

"I have another great idea," said Henry in a low voice.

"Show me."

Eager lips met and Henry resumed his earlier actions of undressing his wife.

There was a buzzing sound.

Henry groaned, breaking away from Elizabeth. "Really? Now?"

"You know, if this wasn't random, I'd really think Fred's hell bent on keeping us apart." She stood up and retrieved her phone from her handbag.

"Sweep in five minutes," she read.

"Give me that," instructed Henry, grabbing the phone from Elizabeth's hands.

"What are you doing?"

Henry pressed a few keys and then sent the message. "I just bought us thirty minutes."

"I love you."

…

Two months later, a very familiar buzzing sound filled the master bedroom.

Henry picked up his wife's phone, read the message, and put it back down on the nightstand.

"Babe," he called out to Elizabeth who was busy with her appearance in the bathroom. "Sweep in 5 minutes."

"Uh-huh," came the reply, his wife being too focused on taming her cowlick.

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. Who would have thought she would be too used to things that Elizabeth barely even noticed it now when Fred entered to do his daily sweep.

Henry left the room to repeat the message to his kids.

He knocked on his daughter's door and then poked his head in. "Noodle? Sweep in five minutes."

"I'll be out in a second!"

Jason came out of his room, looking too mischievous at 6 in the morning and especially on a school day.

"I set out some booby traps for Matt," he stated proudly.

"Jace," warned Henry. "Putting spying devices is like saying bomb jokes at the airport."

"Just this once, please! I even made an effort to read some conspiracy theories out loud!"

"Give it up, big guy."

Jason huffed and drawled out a long, "Fiiine," before disappearing in his room to get said booby traps.

He came out the same time Fred and Matt arrived. He dropped three small devices on Henry's outstretched palm.

"This is what you spend your allowance on?" asked Henry. "Go downstairs and eat your breakfast, please."

Jason trudged down, duly chastised.

Alison finally came out of her room. Pajamas were visible underneath a bathrobe. "All yours, Fred."

"Thanks, Miss McCord."

"Please. It's Alison," she corrected politely before following Jason down to the kitchen.

Henry smiled to himself. Looks like people are getting more used to the presence of the security detail around the house.

He walked back to his bedroom, all the while wondering if he can tempt Elizabeth to join him in the shower.

 _Probably not. She won't want me messing up that cowlick._

 **A/N: Tell me what you think!**


	12. Running Errands

**A/N: Thank you for your kind words about the previous chapter. Here's a new one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this story.**

 **Summary: Running Errands**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Humor**

 _For comfortable active movement... long lasting protection... Worry free nights... 280 mm... Junior absorbency... Regular absorbency?... Maybe just Super... Definitely not ultra... I should just get both._

Henry sighed, dropping both of his hands to his side. The pack of sanitary pads that he held in his left hand and the pack of tampons he held in his right made a sound as they hit against his thighs.

"What do you think?" He looked over to his side to find his ten-year-old son in the same predicament.

"You know when Miss Anne discussed this in class, I was imagining a diaper," said Jason earning him an amused smile from his dad. "Well, I don't think Stevie and Ali need a pad that's... This long." Jason held up the pack for his dad to see.

"That _is_ long," Henry agreed. He lifted the pack of tampon in his right hand and showed it to Jason. "Do you think mom uses this brand?"

Jason's eyes widened. "Mom sticks that up her vagina? Doesn't that hurt?"

Henry hardly knew what the answer to that was. "You should ask her about it when we finish here. Anyway, does this brand look familiar to you?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Jason asked with a raised brow. "You've been married for like—"

"I know, I know! But she keeps changing brands." Henry frowned in consternation. "She definitely used this one at one point in time."

Jason took the pack from his dad and read the product information at the back. He shook his head. "Naah. They use organic cotton now. I heard Stevie lecturing Ali on the benefits of it once." He looked down suddenly and mumbled something about googling it.

"Organic cotton, huh?" mumbled Henry, returning the pack back on the shelf and then proceeding to scan the rows of products in an attempt to spot the description among the labels.

"Maybe we should just call them," suggested Jason with a grumble. When his mom suggested that the girls go bonding at a spa, leaving the boys to spend some time together, Jason didn't imagine he and his dad would bond over girl stuff. He was thinking video games, not... this.

"We _can_ , except their phones are probably inside the lockers at the spa. They wanted a relaxing bonding moment, remember?" It wasn't lost on Henry that his and his son's bonding time was anything but relaxing.

"Right. And that means no phones," Jason concurred. "Well, why don't we just lie and tell them the store ran out?"

Henry raised a brow. "The supermarket ran out? Really?"

Jason shrugged. "It could happen in a zombie apocalypse."

Henry chuckled, ruffling his son's hair. "It's going to be impractical but... Let's just get one of each and then get out of here!"

Jason agreed with a nod. Anything to make it to the video game sale.

...

The day had improved significantly for the McCord men and they got home with a good haul of video games.

After settling the groceries down at the counter, Henry and Elizabeth got started on the family's dinner while the kids disappeared into their bedrooms.

"We should have just eaten at the mall," said Elizabeth, unpacking the groceries.

"Yeah. Except we have this steak that's been marinating in the fridge for two days and it's begging to be eaten." Henry lifted the plate and showed it to his wife.

There was a hungry look in Elizabeth's eyes. "See? That's why you're the chef in this family, Chef Dad." She turned away from the steak and returned to the grocery bags.

Elizabeth halted upon opening one bag that was full of sanitary napkins and tampons. She took one pack out and then another.

She surveyed the rest of the bags and could see that two others were full of the same products. She took those out too and soon, she found her kitchen island packed with sanitary napkins, tampons, and panty liners all from different brands.

Elizabeth looked up from the island to Henry who had his back to her, busy grilling his steak. "Babe?"

He gave a distracted "Hmm?"

"I know you like to spoil me and I appreciate giving me and the girls the chance to choose the tampon of our choice, but did you have to buy the whole aisle?" she lifted a pack of _Always_ pads, chuckling and shaking her head.

Henry slowly turned around, a sheepish look on his face. He temporarily abandoned his steak and walked over to her. "Well, Jace and I forgot what brand you girls use so we got one of each. Even that tiny one. The liners."

"I can see that. Did you think getting us one of each would lead to a greater probability of bringing home a brand that we actually use?" She grinned.

Henry's embarrassed look told her all that she needed to know.

Elizabeth giggled, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on her husband's lips. "You're sweet."

"I wasn't going for sweet but if I get a kiss out of this, I'll take it." Henry leaned in for another kiss, deeper and longer.

Breaking away from each other, Elizabeth turned to the sanitary napkins again. "What are we gonna do with these? The tampons and the liners we can use. But the pads?" She studied one pack, reading the labels. "Maybe we can use them as bandaids or serious injuries... like gunshot wounds?"

He took her hand which rested on the island. "I'm sorry. Let's just include them in our Christmas donations this year."

"Yeah, we can do that. It'd be a waste to throw it all out." Elizabeth raked her eyes all over the packs on the island and said, "You know what's funny about this? Our brand's not even in here. The supermarket must have run out."

Henry mentally cursed at himself. Who would have thought his ten-year-old was right? They should've just lied instead of bringing home three bags full of pads and tampons they don't need.

 **A/N: Tell me what you think!**


	13. Elizabeth Finally Gets Her Donut

**A/N: This happens during tonight's episode. So, obviously, there are spoilers.**

 **Summary: Elizabeth finally gets her donuts.**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Romance**

Henry chuckled as Elizabeth dramatically claimed, "There is no food in this house!"

Elizabeth opened the cupboards, then the fridge, and then stared at the pile of dirty dishes that once had the food she needed. She turned on her heels and grabbed her bags from her home office.

"Where are you going?" asked Henry, following her with his messenger bag still clutched in one hand.

"To the office."

"But you just got home!"

"Well, there are donuts in the office so…" Elizabeth gave him a quick kiss before walking out of the front door.

Henry got in his own car and backed out of the driveway to go to the FBI building. On his way out, he spotted the local bakery across the street. Telling himself that he could afford to be a little late, he made a U-turn.

…

"Ma'am, a delivery man is here for you from Pat and Pat's Bakeshop," said Blake, poking his head in Elizabeth's office.

Elizabeth's forehead crinkled in thought. "But I didn't order—"

"Hey, babe," greeted Henry, striding in after thanking Blake. He was wearing a charming smile on his lips, his messenger bag was slung over his shoulder, and in his hand was a plastic bag.

Elizabeth pushed her chair away from the table and got up. She walked over to her husband, grinning from ear to ear. "Hi! Aren't you supposed to be at the FBI? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I missed my wife when she was pulled out of my arms early this morning," he kissed her. "So, I drove here after my meeting with the FBI bearing, if I remember correctly, the food that our house does not have."

Elizabeth chuckled, taking the bag from Henry's hand and then peering inside. "This is not just food. These are cupcakes."

"And donuts." Henry wiggled his eyebrows.

"Donuts?" asked Elizabeth, her eyes widening. She quickly turned around and settled the pastries on the coffee table.

Henry put down his bag and joined her on the couch.

"I am in desperate need of a donut today," said Elizabeth with an exaggerated sigh. "Matt ate the last donut so all Blake could get me were muffins." She took out the boxes of pastries and went for the donuts first. "Now on normal days, muffins are fine. But today is not a normal day and a muffin does not make a donut."

She took a bite off of one donut. "Hmm. Oh, God. This is heaven." She kicked off her shoes and then snuggled closer to Henry who put an arm around her.

She lifted her donut to her husband, silently asking if he'd like a bite. Henry opened his mouth in response and she fed him.

They were both quiet for a while, focusing all their attention to the donuts and cupcakes.

"So, how was your asset?" Elizabeth finally asked in between chewing a cupcake.

"Something happened and we're in the blind again. I pushed our meeting to tonight so," Henry frowned apologetically, "can't do Cupcake Wars later."

"What?" Elizabeth drew away from him, her arrows narrowed to slits and her mouth agape in fake anger. "Henry!"

"I know, I know! But see here?" He pointed to her cupcake. "We've got the real thing. Let's binge tomorrow night."

Elizabeth continued to frown at him, trying to decide whether or not to continue the argument. With a sigh, she settled back beside him. "Okay. Fine. But you have to listen to the spoilers Blake told me."

Henry laughed. "Shoot."

"Broccoli frosting."

"What? That's just torture." Henry complained to a grinning Elizabeth. "How are we gonna survive not watching that episode tonight?"

"Exactly. Ugh, I'm so full." She glanced at him, raising her cupcake to his line of sight. "Please finish this."

Henry took the cupcake but didn't eat it. He put it back in the box and then asked Elizabeth, "You're full already? But I had something more planned during this rare, bonding moment between us."

"If what you have planned involves a croissant, a danish, or even ice cream, it will have to wait until tomorrow night or… until I'm hungry again." She rubbed her tummy.

Henry shrugged. "Okay. Anyway, it's so much better just sitting here, holding you. Like how it was this morning when you left me."

Elizabeth slapped him lightly on the chest. Henry caught her hand and then held it over his heart, his breath matching hers.

Elizabeth rested her head against his shoulder. "Just out of curiosity…"

"Hmm,"

"What did you have planned?"

"Oh, you know… sex."

Elizabeth laughed. "We can't do that here! I told you! Did you think you could bribe me with the donuts?"

Henry didn't reply.

She looked at him. "Oh, my God! You did! Well, you may not be getting any right now—"

"Which is fine with me. Cuddling is sexier. Man, we must be getting older."

"—but you are definitely getting something tomorrow night, delivery man"

"Oh, boy. Cupcake Wars _and_ sex."

Elizabeth giggled, returning her head back to his shoulder and playing with his hand. She almost dozed off until Blake interrupted the two of them minutes later.

"Bye, babe," she said, lazily kissing him goodbye.

"Tomorrow night," Henry reminded her as Blake tried to whisk her out faster than Elizabeth was willing.

"You better not bail!"

 **A/N: Tell me what you think!**


	14. Elizabeth Fangirls

**Disclaimer: I do not own Madam Secretary or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this story.**

 **Summary: Elizabeth fangirls while at work.**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Humor**

"Madam Secretary, a fine speech, as always. On behalf of UNICEF, thank you once again for accepting our invitation to be our guest of honor in tonight's ball."

Elizabeth smiled graciously at the host. "Thank you for inviting me. What you're doing, educating children not just on basic subjects but allowing them the chance to form passions through the arts, that's one advocacy I am 100% behind."

Elizabeth motioned at Henry, who was by her side. "Mr. Garcia, my husband, Henry, is a big supporter as well, especially of the Rights To Bear Arts movement."

"Dr. McCord, yes, I've come across some of your work," said Garcia as he shook Henry's hand. "Wonderful that you could come."

"You got a lot of artists here tonight, I see," commented Henry, looking around.

Garcia nodded, gazing around as well. "Oh, yes. Mostly ambassadors and also our sponsors, of course. I believe Cate Blanchett is in attendance."

"Cate Blanchett?" asked Henry with an interest that made Elizabeth smile. "I love her work!"

"Emma Watson and Dan Stevens too," added Garcia. "Seeing as the theme of tonight's event was focused on the arts, we invited many artists from various fields."

"Wait," said Elizabeth, heart almost stilling when she heard the name. "Dan Stevens is here?"

"Why does that name sound familiar?" asked Henry.

"He's Matthew Crawley," gushed Elizabeth, softly hitting her husband on the arm. "And the guy who played the Beast in the live action Beauty and the Beast. He's here?"

"I believe that's him over there." Garcia pointed to a slender man talking to another man by the bar.

Elizabeth's breath hitched. He looked absolutely perfect! She abruptly turned to Henry. "How do I look?"

Henry grinned. "Like the belle of the ball."

Elizabeth frowned. "Be serious."

"I am! You look absolutely stunning in this dress Ali picked out." Elizabeth nodded in relief. "How about me?" asked Henry, running his hands over his suit. "Do I look like a dashing prince charming because Cate Blanchett is headed this way and I want to make an impression."

"Intelligent and sexy, babe," winked Elizabeth.

"Thanks, babe." Henry glanced down at his watch. "Meet you back here in five minutes?"

"Five?" scoffed Elizabeth. "This is Matthew Crawley. I'm gonna need more than five minutes."

"Well, just make sure you come home to me by midnight, 'kay babe?" Henry leaned down and chastely kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Do you think he'll sign my purse?"

Before Henry could reply, someone called out Elizabeth's name. Russell Jackson was striding towards them with a look that Elizabeth knew too well. There was either a matter that needed handling or her speech wasn't as good as she thought it was. Either way, she didn't want to find out.

"Not now, Russell. I'm going beast hunting."

Russell gaped. "Henry—"

"Uh-uh. I have my own celebrity to stalk. See you later, Russ."

...

Dan Stevens saw Elizabeth approaching and immediately offered her his hand to shake.

"Madam Secretary, that speech of yours was incredibly moving."

"Thank you. I have to say the same about your role as Matthew Crawley. I was completely devastated when he died!"

"Wow," said Dan. "The US Secretary of State watches Downtown Abbey. That's the side of politicians the public rarely ever get to see."

Elizabeth laughed. "In my line of work, it helps to watch foreign shows to get a feel of foreign culture."

"Spoken like a true diplomat," said Dan. "You know, you're particularly famous in England."

"Really?"

"Yes! Your approach to foreign policy is… refreshing."

Elizabeth was too busy gazing at Dan Stevens that she noticed only too late that she had spaced out.

"I'm sorry," she said, chuckling nervously. "It's just… you're so much more handsome in person."

Dan's eyes crinkled in laughter and Elizabeth could feel her heart melting. "I certainly hope so. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to live with horns and fur like the Beast? Think of all the maintenance. That and I'd probably shed all over the house."

Elizabeth giggled once more as Dan continued to say, "You are also a wonder, Madam Secretary. That photo in the banner doesn't do you justice at all."

Elizabeth shakily raised a finger at him. "See, you have to stop saying things like that or I'll really put it in my head that you're my celebrity boyfriend."

Dan laughed. "Perhaps tonight I shall be, Madam Secretary."

"Call me Elizabeth. Um, could we have a photo taken together? My daughters would flip out knowing I met you here tonight."

"Of course, absolutely."

Ignoring the effect the actor's British accent had on her, Elizabeth handed her phone to a passing waiter.

After the photo was taken, she said, "Going back to the Beast, how did you get your voice to do that deep, low, husky thing?"

"A voice coach," said Dan simply. "That and my wife's a singing teacher."

"Well, I'm gonna have to schedule lessons with your wife. My kids say I'm tone deaf but maybe you're wife can fix that. If it's fixable."

A tap on Elizabeth's shoulder told her Russell was nearby. Again.

She turned around to face Russell Jackson. "Yes? I'm working at the moment."

Russell shot her a skeptical look.

Elizabeth sighed and turned to Dan. "Dan, meet Russell Jackson, the President's Chief of Staff. He's trying to whisk me away to do something classified." She faced Russell. "But, Russell, Dan here is my boyfriend tonight and only tonight." Dan nodded, playing along. "Or at least until the clock strikes twelve and I am going to milk this for what it's worth."

"You have a husband," Russell reminded her. "Who is currently having a discourse with another award winning actor across the room."

"Ah yes. Cate Blanchett," Elizabeth said to Dan. "She's a queen. I love all of her films."

"Carol was beautifully done," commented the actor.

"Who wouldn't turn gay for Cate Blanchett, you know?"

"Exactly!" The two ended up laughing as Russell got more and more visibly frustrated.

"Come on, Russell," said Elizabeth. "Loosen up." She handed him a glass of wine from the bar. There should be someone in here that you're just dying to meet. Angelina Jolie? Brad Pitt?"

Russell lowered his voice and hissed, "Unlike you, I do not get star-struck and distracted."

"Except when it's pandas."

"Pandas calm me," Russell said grumpily

"Good for you. So imagine pandas right now, okay? And loosen that tie. It's a party, after all."

"Fine," Russell wagged a finger at her. "But the minute it's 12 o'clock, I am dragging you to deal with the... something."

"I'll be all yours by then."

Once Russell had walked away, Elizabeth apologized to Dan, who was only too charming and understanding.

"Politics is a 24/7 job. It's demanding," he said.

"Yeah, listen, Dan." Elizabeth took him aside and away from listening ears. "I wasn't lying when I told Russell that I was working. I want to bring you in on a project I'm working on."

Dan Stevens' grew serious and said, "Fire away."

"How do you feel about working together to bring fairytales to underprivileged kids? I'm talking Beauty and the Beast along the likes of Cinderella, Frozen, The Jungle Book."

Dan raised a brow. "So, your husband and Cate Blanchett are..."

"Negotiating. Of course we're pitching the project to the producers as well but it would help to have the lead stars interested and willing."

"Elizabeth, I believe that's a wonderful idea."

They shook hands once more.

"I think this is the part where I tell you that my people will contact your people," said Elizabeth.

"Yes. And this is the part where I invite my girlfriend for the night to dance." Dan escorted her to the dancefloor where they joined other couples one of which were Henry and Cate Blanchett.

Henry gave his wife a curt nod as she passed, before returning his attention to his own partner.

"You're a really smooth dancer," said Elizabeth after the music died down.

"Thankfully this doesn't take a lot of rehearsing."

"You know what I'm thinking right now?"

Dan shook his head.

"That I really hope my assistant has a video of us dancing as a souvenir."

Dan barked a laugh. "I'm looking forward to working with you soon, Elizabeth."

"May I borrow my wife, Mr. Stevens?" interrupted Henry, a sparkle in his eye telling Elizabeth she was going to get teased later.

"She's all yours. Lovely to meet you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth blushed and awkwardly curtsied.

Dan chuckled again, before waving goodbye.

Henry took his wife in his arms and they began to dance. "You had to curtsey."

"Like I was gonna pass up an opportunity to curtsy to Matthew Crawley."

"You're adorable when you're reduced to a giggling fangirl, you know that?"

Heat rose to Elizabeth's cheeks as Henry gazed earnestly at her. Her husband can be quite as dreamy as Matthew Crawley, with the only difference being that he wasn't dead or a fictional character.

"How was dancing with _The_ Cate Blanchett?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Like a dream. And how was being Lady Mary for the night?"

"Productive," Elizabeth brought her mouth closer to Henry's ear and whispered, "But you know, there's only ever been one prince for me."

"Oh. Yeah? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We go home before Russell Jackson steals me away?"

"Exactly."

 **A/N: There is absolutely no way that Elizabeth did not watch her Matthew Crawley in Beauty and the Beast. Tell me what you think! I apologize for any errors I may have missed.**


	15. 5 Times Henry Carried Elizabeth

**A/N: It's been a while since I've written a Madam Secretary fanfic. But I've been rewatching old episodes and I'm feeling the love tonight.**

 **Summary: Five times Henry carried Elizabeth**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Humor, Romance**

1.

"I think that's enough for you, Miss Adams." Henry gently pried the can of beer from Elizabeth's hands, ignoring how cute she looked pouting at him.

"But I'm fine," she insisted, getting up to her feet.

Instead of standing upright, however, she swayed left and right before settling to just leaning her hand against the arm of the sofa.

"You're drunk," Henry told her, smiling. She was an adorable drunk. "Come on, I'll walk you home Becky's waiting up for you."

Elizabeth jutted her lip out, but took Henry's proffered hand nonetheless.

"Bye, everyone!" Elizabeth cried out, waving at people who barely waved back. "Bye!"

Elizabeth dragged her feet as they walked back to the dorm.

She stopped abruptly and frowned at her feet.

"Henry, my shoes are heavy."

Henry resisted the urge to laugh. "They're not. You're just tired."

Elizabeth ignored him. She bent over and began to take off her shoes.

"Elizabeth! What are you—"

"They're heavy! See?" She thrust the shoes in Henry's hands and Henry was left gawking at his girlfriend who was walking in socks.

"Elizabeth, stop." He rushed to catch up to her, holding her arm when he did. "You have to put your shoes on, babe."

Elizabeth halted and Henry took it as an opportunity to slip her shoes back on.

He crouched low and placed Elizabeth's hand on his shoulder. "Hold on to me." Then, he lifted Elizabeth's foot and put one sneaker on.

Just when he was going to slip the second sneaker on, Elizabeth lazily hummed, "I'm tired."

The next thing Henry knew, she was climbing on his back.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Henry struggled to keep himself from sprawling on the ground.

"I'm gonna sleep right here," she said, finally getting in position. She linked her arms around his neck and rested her head on the space between his shoulder and neck.

Henry sighed and decided they'd get back to her dorm faster this way, anyway.

He straightened, hooked his arms around Elizabeth's legs, and continued on their way, the last remaining shoe still in his hand.

"You know I ride horses?" Elizabeth asked.

For someone who claimed to be sleepy, Elizabeth sure was talking a lot.

Then again, she was drunk too.

"You've mentioned it."

"This isn't like that. But you're not really a horse," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Thanks for noticing, babe."

"You're funnier and horses don't really make jokes." She covered her mouth with one hand and said, "Calling all rabbits, calling all rabbits!" She laughed afterwards in memory of the joke Henry had made at the party. "That was hilarious."

Henry joined her in laughing. Elizabeth was the only one who laughed at that, and she wasn't even drunk then.

And a woman like that... She was a keeper.

2.

"You are _not_ carrying me over the threshold like some traditional bride," Elizabeth glared half-heartedly at her husband—wow, husband. She was going to have to get used to that—backing away from his hands which had very mischievous designs on her person.

Henry wasn't deterred at all. He grinned, hands still outstretched towards her.

"Come on, babe. We didn't get the traditional wedding, so might as well do something traditional."

Elizabeth pressed her lips together in thought but that proved enough time for Henry to claim her in his arms.

"Henry!" It came out more of a startled squeal than a shriek. Then again, the feel of being enveloped in his warmth between his chest and arms was very comforting.  
He was heading off to war soon. Very soon.

Elizabeth figured she could give him this win.

Henry laughed triumphantly at his victory.

He turned to face the front door.

And frowned.

The door was closed.

His hands were occupied.

He really should have thought this through.

"Um," Henry shyly looked down at Elizabeth. "Babe? Could you—"

"I got it. I got it," said Elizabeth, reaching out for the door knob.

"Thanks. I knew there was a reason I married you."

That earned him a slap to the chest.

3.

Henry was back from Desert Storm.

And not too soon for Elizabeth's liking.

She was waiting for him at the airbase, her job at the CIA having scored her an entrance pass to the military hangar.

Looking back, Elizabeth probably shouldn't have run. It was entirely too clichéd, the stuff of movies.

She chalked it all off to youth and the fact that their honeymoon was brutally cut short by his job.

But she did run.

She ran when she saw him hop off the plane, bag slung over his shoulder. He looked the same but different, like he'd seen too much and none at all. Which made sense because he was high up in the air and dropping bombs, never really seeing how many he killed or what destruction he left in his wake, causing his mind to provide that information instead.

Halfway towards her, he dropped his bag to the ground and she tackled him in a tight koala hug.

She latched on to him, legs wrapped around his waist, arms tight around his neck, face buried deep in the space between his neck and shoulder.

Henry pressed a long kiss on her temple and Elizabeth almost missed the whistling coming from the other soldiers.

Almost.

She dropped to the ground, blushing profusely as she avoided the eyes of Henry's grinning friends.

They knew enough to know that Henry and Elizabeth were still newlyweds...sort of—did it still count as being newly wed if both husband and wife hadn't seen each other for months?—and were far too desperate for something to be happy about that they couldn't resist the teasing.

Henry grasped Elizabeth's hand and took his bag in his other.

"Let's go home," he said to her and Elizabeth wanted nothing more.

4.

They got into some kind of routine with Henry being back.

He went back to school, teaching during the day and taking his master's degree at night and on the weekends, while she continued her job at the CIA.

They still saw each other in the morning, at lunch, and at night because Elizabeth would wait up for him and eat dinner with him.

They're expecting their first child too which meant that Elizabeth was far more tired than usual.

Henry returned home from a 7:30 PM class to find his wife deeply asleep on the couch, no doubt having fallen asleep waiting for him.

She's 8 months along, stomach big and "in the way" as she liked to say, and back aching "like a bitch" (her words not Henry's).

Falling asleep on the couch would do anything but wonders to her back and despite just wanting to crawl into bed and leave his wife undisturbed (she hardly slept at all given the baby's constant abuse to her kidneys), he quietly deposited his stuff to the floor and scooped his wife up in his arms.

She's heavy. He wasn't gonna lie.

She didn't stir, having turned into a heavy sleeper during this pregnancy, and he was thankful for that.

He looked forward to the day that he'd hold their baby. But until that time, he was going to have to be content with holding his wife and talking to her stomach.

5.

Elizabeth's eyes did that cute little thing where they got smaller when her face was scrunched up as she cried. But the circumstances weren't cute at all.

She was grieving for her friend and was also scared about what his death meant. For the country, for her.

"Right now, I just want to miss him!" She walked into Henry's arms and sat on his lap as he rubbed her back.

"Go ahead," he whispered in her ear.

His wife never really handled deaths very well. She had lost her parents at a young age, took every loss during her time in the CIA seriously… she felt too much and too deeply.

They stayed that way for a while until Henry thought of something to cheer her up.

Henry slipped his arm behind her knees and let the other support her back. He carried her to the living room couch despite her protests.

"Trust me," he said.

Leaving her on the couch, he disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a tub of ice cream and two spoons.

Elizabeth gave him a look. "It isn't really the time to eat, honey."

"You said you wanted to miss George." Henry sat beside her, opening the ice cream. "What better way to do that than to talk about the stuff we love about him over ice cream?"

Elizabeth considered it for a moment. Then, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and took the offered spoon.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With ice cream now in her mouth, Elizabeth began to feel a little bit better. "Do you remember all those times George did those magic tricks?"

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, Stevie loved those!"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Uh-uh. Apparently, she saw right through them but didn't want to say anything."

"She's too nice to be your daughter." Henry took another spoonful and then said, "He loved my rabbit joke."

Elizabeth started to laugh again at the memory.

They sat there for a good hour, reminiscing about their friend. It didn't take away the sorrow or the fact that he was dead, but with Henry, Elizabeth felt that he helped carry the weight of the pain.

That was enough for now.

 **A/N: Like always, feel free to send in some prompts. I'm dying to write some more MSec fics.**


	16. Why Henry Calls Her Elizabeth

**Summary: Why Henry calls his wife Elizabeth and not Bess**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance**

Bess winced at the sound of piles of books falling to the ground.

The smack and thud of paperback and hardbound books were like cannon balls, flying through the air in the too quiet library.

Bess stood shock-still waiting for the all too common "Ssh" or one of the librarians in this floor of the library to come and investigate on the noise.

But nobody came.

Bess let out a sigh of relief.

Luckily for her she was in between the rows of bookshelves and nobody was around to see her blunder and her abuse of the books.

Sitting down cross legged on the floor, Bess started to get all the books in order.

She didn't even need most of these. They had simply fallen when she pulled a book that was tightly lodged in between other books, causing that illegal sound... Well, illegal in a library, anyway.

"Hey, did you hear something?"

Bess let out a startled gasp.

She looked up. A guy with sandy hair and kind eyes was standing right before her, concerned.

Her cheeks felt very warm at having been caught after all.

"That was me. Sorry." Bess gestured to the books all around her. "I had a bit of an accident. Please don't tell the librarian! They already gave me a warning for sneaking a granola bar in here yesterday!"

The guy raised his hand, palm facing her. "I heard absolutely nothing."

Bess smiled gratefully.

He gestured to the books. "Mind if I help?"

She shook her head.

The guy then came forward and crouched beside her, picking up the books that had fallen farther from where Bess sat.

He handed over his gathered books before he spotted something else.

He picked up a card on the ground.

"You dropped this too," he said, briefly looking at the ID card.

"Ooh. Wouldn't want to get caught without that." Bess hooked the ID on her pants' belt loop.

"Thank you...?"

"Henry. And you're welcome, Elizabeth."

Bess blinked. Nobody called her Elizabeth except her brother and her parents. And she hadn't wanted anyone aside from Will to call her that ever since the accident.

She was Bess to everyone else.

"How did you—right." Bess tapped her ID.

She decided against correcting him. They just met after all.

The guy nodded. "Do you still need help carrying your books to check out? Just to, you know, avoid another incident which didn't happen by the way."

Bess turned to stare at the pile of books and then back to Henry.

"Oh, I'm not... I only just need the one," she lifted the book she needed. "The rest just wanted to cause a scene."

"I'll help return them then."

Normally, Bess would have waved off the help. She could totally return a pile of books by herself.

But the guy _was_ cute. And he _did_ offer.

Bess accepted his help and as the last book went back on the shelf, she thanked Henry.

"Not a problem. I'm just glad I decided to go and find out what that sound was," he said smiling.

Was that a come on?

It totally was.

"Me too." Bess bit the inside of her cheek. Then, she asked, "Hey, do you want to get a sandwich? I'll pay. A little thanks for the help and for not ratting me out."

Henry chuckled. "Sure, yeah. I'll just grab my things. Meet you at check out?"

 _6 months later_

Elizabeth deepened the kiss, the book she wanted pressed against Henry's chest, her hand keeping it in place.

They were in the library, hiding behind one of the bookshelves, not at all unlike how they first met.

There was a cough, a sort of clearing of throat, causing Elizabeth and Henry to step away from each other, the book falling to the floor.

"Shit." Elizabeth picked it up quickly, grateful that her hair hid the look of mortification on her face.

Just as she was about to apologize to the librarian, a familiar voice said, "Elizabeth Adams, the library is a place for research not make out sessions."

Her brother stood with his arms crossed and gave her a look of feigned disappointment.

Elizabeth let out a huff, half in annoyance, half in relief at the fact that it wasn't the librarian. She slapped the book on her brother's arm.

"You scared the hell out of me!"

Will only laughed. "Good. 'Cause when I asked you if you wanted to have lunch, you said you couldn't because you were gonna study." He wiggled his eyebrows at Henry.

"I am!" Elizabeth said, raising the book as evidence.

Will snorted. "More like studying this guy's lips." He held his hand out to Henry. "Hi, I'm Will, Elizabeth's brother."

"Younger brother," Elizabeth corrected as her boyfriend and brother shook hands.

Henry, thank God, was not at all intimidated at the prospect of meeting her family and instead had an amused look on his face.

"Henry McCord, nice to finally meet you. Elizabeth would talk about you sometimes. Pre-med, right?"

"Yep. Elizabeth, huh?" Will eyed her sister who rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. It's my name." It's true. She _was_ born Elizabeth Adams.

"Riiiight."

Henry decided they could all move the reunion outside the library lest they incur the wrath off the librarian for real this time.

They all ended up right by the sandwich stand again. Elizabeth joined the queue of customers while Will and Henry stood further back waiting for her.

"So, how long have you been dating my sister?" Will asked.

"Oh, around maybe 5, 6 months. She's great!"

"And you call her Elizabeth," Will said suspiciously.

Henry frowned. "It _is_ her name, yeah. Why is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Will shrugged. "Aside from the fact that it was a name she grew to hate and decided to just go by Bess for the rest of her life."

"Really?" Henry crossed her arms and looked at his girlfriend who was talking to the sandwich man at the stand. "Well, she never mentioned it to me. _You_ call her Elizabeth."

"'Cause she's my sister and I had been calling her that before she decided to change her name." Will clasped his hands together. "But it's nothing to worry about. It's just a little weird hearing somebody who's not me call her that, you know. Not since… Nevermind."

But Henry didn't want to drop it. Elizabeth hated her name? Since when?

He was about to ask exactly that when Will brightened at seeing Elizabeth coming back and they didn't speak about names again until later that night when Henry was walking Elizabeth back to her dorm.

"So, Will's pretty cool," Henry said to her.

"Yeah? He said he liked you too. And I'm really glad he does." Elizabeth linked her arm to his. "He could use an older brother, you know someone to look up to. Older sisters aren't really model material."

Henry chuckled, and then remembering his conversation with Will that day, decided to risk the inquiry.

"May I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Do you like being called Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth suddenly stopped walking and looked at him. "What?"

"It's just your brother said something."

She narrowed her eyes at Henry and became tense. "What did he say?"

"Just that you hated your name. Do you? It would make sense. Everybody calls you Bess."

Elizabeth pressed her lips together and then started walking again.

Henry didn't miss the fact it was probably so she wouldn't have to look at him as she answered.

"You don't have to answer," Henry hurried to say. "I'm just concerned cause I may have been calling my girlfriend using a name she hates."

"I did. Hate it, I mean," Elizabeth finally said, still avoiding looking at him. "Only my parents and Will called me Elizabeth."

And that's when Henry understood.

"And then they died. That's what he meant." Henry's gaze softened. "Babe, I'm so sorry."

"It was easier being Bess after that."

"Why didn't you tell me you disliked being called Elizabeth? I would've stopped."

Elizabeth stopped walking again and finally faced him. "No! Don't. I mean, it was weird the first time, like a bucket of cold water to the head. But... We had only just met, I didn't want to correct you cause you were being so nice helping me out with the books. And then we went out on dates and you still called me Elizabeth, and... It wasn't annoying or painful because when you say my name, my legal name, somehow it's comforting. Makes me feel light and at home, like how it used to be with my parents. Ever since they died, I felt like… I was Bess for a long time and then you came along and… I was Elizabeth again. So don't ever stop, do you hear me, Henry McCord?"

Henry nodded, stepping into her space and slipping his arms around her waist to hug her.

"But 'Babe' is fine, right?"

"Oh, yeah, totally."

Henry pulled back and tipped her chin up. "Elizabeth."

"See? It's just... Sexier when you say it."

"Oh, I see how it is." They chuckled. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Henry?"

"I'm really glad I went to see what that noise was."

"Same here."

He kissed the top of her head and they continued the walk home.


End file.
